Jean Strouse and Suzanne Zack
Jewish Book Week: John Singer Sargent & the Wertheimers
Thursday 6.03.2025
Summary
Please note this lecture was only available to watch live.
Bancroft Prize winner Jean Strouse joins us to discuss the mysteries and tragedies surrounding 12 portraits of an Edwardian family by an American artist at the height of his powers. By commissioning John Singer Sargent, London art dealer Asher Wertheimer became his greatest private patron. When he left most of the series to London’s National Gallery, the Wertheimers were the first Jews to appear alongside the Anglo-Saxon dignitaries painted by earlier masters. Family Romance travels from the Habsburg court to fascist Italy, charting the decline of the British aristocracy and the rise of new wealth on both sides of the Atlantic. Learn More
In partnership with the Jewish Literary Foundation.