Examines both the life and work of the nineteenth-century painter, dispelling the usual portrait of an irascible dandy at war with critics and other artists, and assesses his reputation.
The myth perpetuated throughout Whistler's life--of a witty, irascible dandy endlessly feuding with the establishment or anyone else who stood in his way--is brought up to date with the treatment of his artistic achievement and extraordinary career in this major biography. From...