WHISTLER COMES TO TOWN

A Member depicts Disgraceful Events that occurred in Molesworth Street, on the occasion of the Hanging of the Dublin Painting and Sketching Club’s Annual Exhibition, November 1884

In 1884 the American painter James McNeill Whistler, a rising star of the London Art world, was invited to exhibit in Dublin. John Butler Yeats, a friend of Whistler’s, was a member of the Dublin Painting and Sketching Club. So the American agreed to send 25 paintings, including his ‘Arrangement in Grey and Black no 1’ - better known as ‘Whistler’s Mother’. John Singer Sargent also submitted work. Hanging-committee members, Yeats, Frederic Lawless and Wm Booth Pearsall, gave the Americans all the best spaces. On Submission Day, members arriving with their own paintings were outraged. They demanded that “these ‘eccentricities’ by Whistler ‘should be taken down, or at the very least hung in a less conspicuous area’. Polite restraint was abandoned. Punches were thrown. At least one member was knocked to the floor. But the Hanging Committee stood firm... and the exhibition opened as planned.

The Irish Times published a scathing review, dismissing the Americans as painters ‘of more or less repute, in the world of art’. While respectful of Whistler’s Mother, the reviewer described other works as ‘mere colour blotches, conveying the idea of pure carelessness and wanton haste’.

But The Dublin Daily Express and The Freeman’s Journal, commented on the ‘freshness and originality” of the paintings.

This controversy fuelled public interest. Dubliners flocked to the show. Remarks such as ‘rubbish’ and ‘unfinished,’ were initially heard. However, as the days passed, viewers became more appreciative. WB Yeats said his visit to the exhibition ‘ made me happy for days.’ A businessman, Jonathan Hogg, offered to buy “Whistler’s Mother”. But the artist would not sell. So Hogg bought two of the smaller works which are now in the National Gallery... as is a painting exhibited by Singer Sargent.

Despite the exhibition’s success, discontented members called on the hanging committee to resign. A hastily convened EGM almost broke up in fisticuffs. But, once again, Yeats, Lawless and Booth Pearsall prevailed. In a triumphant gesture they invited Whistler to join the Club. He graciously accepted...

So, the Dublin Painting and Sketching Club’s 2014 Exhibition celebrates the boisterous behaviour that led to James McNeill Whistler becoming our most illustrious honorary member.

The Exhibition runs from March 31st to April 13th, in the Concourse Gallery, Dun Laoghaire Rathdowne County Hall.