Skirting the Center and Connecting the Periphery : Les Américains chez Les XX

During the late nineteenth century, American artists keenly felt their peripheral and provincial status in the capitals of Europe. Yet they were welcomed with unusual enthusiasm by the internationalist Cercle des XX in Brussels, as well as by the Belgian art critics. This talk will examine the American participation in the early Salons of Les XX (1884-88), focusing on James Whistler, John Sargent, William M. Chase, and Charles Ulrich. It will consider the historical and social ties between the United States and Belgium, which included a similar questioning of national identity vis-à-vis the dominant French art world. In the end, the unexpected success of the Americans in Brussels provoked a nationalist dispute within the ranks of Les XX, which will be explored through the correspondence of artists James Ensor, Willy Finch, and Théo Van Rysselberghe, among others.

Le débat qui suivra sera animé par Charlotte FOUCHER, ATER à l’Université François-Rabelais.

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