Cremorne Gardens, No. 2

Cremorne Gardens, No. 2

James McNeill Whistler

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The progressive expatriate James McNeill Whistler is associated with the "art for art’s sake" philosophy, which privileged artistic form over content. Yet his subjects were often seen to be as radical as his ethereal color harmonies. In this so-called nocturne, painted in London’s Cremorne Gardens (near his Chelsea home-studio), Whistler explores the theme of modern life embraced by many of his European associates, especially the French Impressionists. An elegant, manicured park that drew fashionable strollers during the daytime hours, the Gardens at night became a site for lively music, dancing, and fireworks, frequented by a broader range of classes.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Cremorne Gardens, No. 2Cremorne Gardens, No. 2Cremorne Gardens, No. 2Cremorne Gardens, No. 2Cremorne Gardens, No. 2

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.