Cocktails with a Curator: Whistler's "Harmony in Pink and Grey, Portrait of Lady Meux"
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- Опубликовано: 22 апр 2021
- In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” Curator Aimee Ng explores the turbulent life of the woman portrayed in James McNeill Whistler’s serene “Harmony in Pink and Grey: Portrait of Lady Meux,” currently on view on the fourth floor of Frick Madison. A former bartender and actress, Lady Meux was shunned by London polite society even after she married Sir Henry Bruce Meux, heir to a huge brewery fortune. This week’s complementary cocktail is a refreshing Mummy, a nod to her extensive collection of some 1,800 Egyptian and Assyrian objects, including an infamous mummy of Nesmin.
To view this painting in detail, please visit our website: www.frick.org/ladymeux
FEATURED COCKTAIL: Mummy (vodka, Triple Sec, and lemon juice, poured over ice and topped with sparkling water); the mocktail is fresh orange juice and a squeeze of lemon, also served over ice with a splash of sparkling water. For the complete recipes, visit www.frick.org/cocktails-curator
For more information on Frick Madison and to purchase tickets, visit: www.frick.org/madison-tickets
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I enjoy when Aimee chooses works of art that point to women in history who were challenged, in different ways yet always with societal expectations.
For years, I've gone to the Frick every time I've visited New York, but getting to know Aimee and Xavier, and lately, Giulio, through this weekly series has really made me feel much more connected. I'm so grateful for THEM, in addition to the art and the building -- for their knowledge, their ability to explain, and for their spirit. Thank you.
What a lovely, warm and witty host...What a fascinating story . I admire how Lady Meux was audacious enough to hire Whistler when he was an outcast of society, as well as she.
Excellent. Fascinating. Love Whistler. Thank you.
I think this portrait is sensitive and beautiful. I lover her face, gown, hat and everything about it.
One of the zillion great stories of the arguments between Whistler and Lady Meux has to be preceded by an explanation that Whistler's portraits are simplified and not rendered in the Academic style. In one of their yelling matches, Lady Meux screamed, "You watch your mouth, Jimmy Whistler, or I'll have somebody come in and FINISH your paintings for you!!"
Reminiscent of Klimt in a way, for me. She has a realistic face but the body is clothed and styled in a more abstract manner. Beautiful! Thank you for sharing this painting with us.
Dramatic life of a lady via Whistler's painting! Quite an unusual story, indeed! 🤨 Thank for the information! Great research! 😊😁
Amazing presentation, as ALWAYS Aimee, Thank you! I always feel 10 % smarter just hearing your voice.
Both the painter and the Lady are so interesting. Thank you for bringing then to us. I think the painting is truly gorgeous. You always bring us such interesting details.
We need a biopic of Lady Meux!
What an interesting person :)
Any actress's dream role! Plus, it seems the British tabloids haven't changed.
Wow. Brilliant! From a deep dive down a rabbit hole back to beginning.
Fascinating back story.... thank you, Amy Ng!
Fascinating. Thank you.
This is one of my favorite portraits at The Frick. Thank you, Aimee, for your beautiful, sensitive presentation! I think Lady Meux would be proud.
Thank you very much for a most interesting and informative video. I think her face looks sad and that Whistler captured her inner vulnerability.
Thank you Aimee
Thank you Aimee, that was brilliant. I have been aware of Friary Meux as a brewery all my life, but this is the first time I have known how to pronounce Meux! And the Temple Bar connection was new to me as well. These cocktails with the curator are always fascinating.
In this concise and rather fascinating look a portrait of a woman with a complex history Ms. Ng raises some key points in viewing portraiture and how biographical details can colour our perception of what we 'see' and how we 'read' the work. The legacy of the subject and the shifting values of the society which produced it provide an interesting lens through which we can reflect on our own perceptions of the work and the sitter.
Lady Meux sponsored my great grandfather ( a sculptor and portrait artist) so that he could attend the Paris school of art. Amazing lady.
Thank you Aimee. Another great presentation.
It is great to learn the intricate history behind Whistler’s subtle rendering of Lady Meux. Thank you for this enlightening interpretation!
This one was so engaging! Thank you Amy!
Beautifully researched as ever, for me no Saturday morning is complete without a visit to the Frick. I especially love that the terrifying stag hunt photograph was taken on a Croquet lawn.
Exquisite presentation Ms. Ng. Thank you!!
What a delight, thank you!
As always great story about the work, the artist and this fascinating subject!
The butterfly was the monogram of the Taira clan, their fall from power in the 1180s being the subject of the thirteenth century Heike monogatari. It was a popular subject for Japanese prints in the 19th century. I wonder if there is a connection?
Beautiful presentation Aimee! What am interesting person was Lady Meux,
Lady Meux sponsored my Great Grandfather to attend an art school in Paris, amazing lady.
Great talk. Thank you!
Very touching, thank you.
Amazing! Thank you. 🇨🇦
Exceptional. Many thanks....
Thanks so much!
Thank you!
Enjoy it! Thank you.
Chapeau! Aimée...
I think we can all agree that there are not nearly enough portraits of titled banjo playing bareback riding huntin’ shootin’ prostitutes.
Such a delightful presentation. It just amazes me that that long ago, women's bodies were so distorted for acceptance. I question whether this was her choice or the artist's. For all of her gumption and not caring about societal norms, she still was still portrayed as slim when clearly she was not. It seems like a sad compromise for a woman that was so much more than her figure.
An example of the monogram can be found on Yoshitoshi"s One hundred Aspects of the Moon series no 50 The moon and the helm of a boat- Taira no Kiyotsune.
Thank you! This video was very interesting. I especially liked your question of how I look at this painting now that I know some of her history. I would say I grew more found of her image. At first she looks like a sweet, innocent girl who was probably not very worldly. But after I learned a bit of her past, she now looks like a much more dynamic person with an inner-strength I had not before seen. Perhaps I need to stop and think about how I project my own "stuff" onto others I know nothing about?! DA
Great story about our aunty, ever the character!
Excellent although kind of a sad story.
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Very good presentation! Lady Meux certainly controlled her destiny, something most women back then couldn't claim. Considering the Prince of Wales and his eye for beautiful women, its interesting she didn't make his acquaintance. The famous Jersey Lily Langtry was one of his many mistresses who later went on stage, she was featured prominently in his entourage when he was coronated. It's too bad she didn't have any real friends in the aristocracy to ease her way into society. She likely would have fared better in France and even the USA with her title.
Hi from Cleveland, Ohio
Wow...what a fascinating back story. Thank you, Amy Ng,
If this portrait is even remotely accurate ( as opposed to the photograph shown), then she had a beautiful face, especially her eyes.
The Grosvenor Gallery, the Art world equivalent Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
Betty here at Nyc
Animal justice??? Where’s Xavier?
Oh no, not an actress, how awful. That's rich, the aristos throwing stones, talk about a long history of meritricious relationships. The St. Louis Art Museum had a mummy and it was a highlight for school children to see the toe of the mummy sticking out from the wrapped linens. Meux on that relatives, no money for you.
I will never return to Woke NYC.