Solo show
Now on
Whistler. Dandy and Maverick
16 Oct 2026 — 10 Jan 2027 at Van Gogh Museum
· Amsterdam
This exhibition shines a spotlight on James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), one of the most distinctive and provocative figures in 19th-century art. Celebrated for his atmospheric nocturnes, elegant portraits, and radical aesthetic theories, Whistler defied the conventions of his time with characteristic wit and flair.
The show presents Whistler as both a consummate dandy — meticulous in his dress, sharp in his social manner — and a genuine maverick whose ideas about art for art's sake challenged the prevailing tastes of the Victorian era. Visitors are invited to discover the full range of his creative output and the outsized personality behind it.
The show presents Whistler as both a consummate dandy — meticulous in his dress, sharp in his social manner — and a genuine maverick whose ideas about art for art's sake challenged the prevailing tastes of the Victorian era. Visitors are invited to discover the full range of his creative output and the outsized personality behind it.
About the artist
James McNeill Whistler
1834–1903 · Symbolism
James Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American painter in oils and watercolor, and printmaker, based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral allusion in painting and was a leading proponent of the credo "art for art's sake".
About the artist →About the venue
Van Gogh Museum
· Amsterdam
The Van Gogh Museum is a Dutch art museum dedicated to the works of Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries in the Museum Square in Amsterdam South, close to the Stedelijk Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and the Concertgebouw. The museum opened on 2 June 1973, and its buildings were designed by Gerrit…
