Next to Boston and New York, Houston has one of the largest numbers of paintings by John Singer Sargent owned in private collections. Right now at the MFAH, you can see two exhibitions of Sargents work that include many of these local holdings. Currently on view are the shows Sargent and the Sea, and Houston’s Sargents. Houston’s Sargents has over thirty local paintings on display, either owned by the museum or on loan from local collections.

I love the Sargent society portraits – the studied poses, deliberate high fashion, the implied status. I always wonder what it must have been like for Sargent to do these paintings for the rich upper class. I also like to imagine what todays equivalent status symbol might be for someone of similar standing. Owning a certain car? Your own plane? A photo portrait by Annie Leibovitz?

It would also be really great to see the Barkley L. Hendricks show at the Contemporary Arts Museum along with these Sargents to compare the two. I bet the shows have a lot in common.
Museum of Fine Arts Houston, 1001 Bissonet at Main, Houston, Tx 77005 ph. 713.639.7300

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