Autumn 2026: Focus On – James McNeill Whistler

Members:   £60
Non-members:  £70
Concessions: £30 (call the office 020 8340 3343)

Please note that this class takes place on the first floor meaning there is unfortunately no step-free access.

In this one-day course we explore the life and work of James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903). An American artist in London, he was a leading proponent of the idea of “art for art’s sake”. He signed his paintings with stylized monogram of a butterfly with a long stinger for a tail – as much a symbol of his love of Japanese art as his assertive and sometimes combative nature.

Having lived and worked with the Paris avant-garde he settled in London in 1859 having created a distinctive post-impressionist style at a time when many of his British contemporaries had yet to come to terms with Impressionism. Inspired, influential, and infuriating, his art was full of subtle delicacy, he had a wide social network of friends and family and yet, if crossed could be a formidable opponent. Whistler influenced the art world and the broader culture of his time through his artistic theories and his cross-channel friendships with leading artists and writers. His ideas and work encompass painting, printmaking, writing, curating and the decorative arts.