Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939

Anais Nin by Natashia Troubetskoia active c. 1932
Oil on canvas, c. 1932
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Caresse Crosby by Polia Chentoff
Oil on canvas, 1927
Special Collections Research Center, Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Photo: Gregory Wendt

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in Bakst Costume with Fleurs du Mal by Howard Gardiner Cushing
Oil on canvas, 1911-12
Private collection

Jane Heap by Pavel Fyodorovitch Tchelitchew
Watercolor on paper, c. 1923-30
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Natalie with Violin by Alice Pike Barney
Oil on canvas, n.d.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Laura Dreyfus Barney and Natalie Clifford Barney in memory of their mother, Alice Pike Barney

Frances Cranmer Greenman (1890–1981)
Self Portrait Oil on canvas, 1923
The Minneapolis Institute of Art, Gift of Mrs. Patrick Butler

Ethel Mars (1876–1959)
Woman with a Monkey Oil on canvas, 1908
Springfield Art Association of Edwards Place

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MARCH 29 – JUNE 22, 2025

3rd Floor, North Building
Venue Curator: Erika Holmquist-Wall

During the early twentieth century, Paris was the destination of choice for talented and independent American women determined to move beyond the limitations that restricted them at home. Drawn by a strong desire for independence, they crossed the Atlantic to pursue personal and professional ambitions in a city viewed as the epicenter of modernity. Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939 recaptures the experiences of these unorthodox women who found in Paris the freedom to blaze new trails in a variety of fields, including art, literature, design, publishing, music, fashion, journalism, theater, and dance. As foreigners in a cosmopolitan city, they escaped the societal expectations and constraints of both the United States and France. Many used their newfound liberty as an opportunity for self-reinvention and discovery.

Portraiture provides a revealing lens through which to view the cultural shifts American women helped instigate in Paris. Their defiance of social, professional, and gender norms rendered conventional modes of female portraiture obsolete. Brilliant Exiles highlights the dynamic role of portraiture in articulating the refashioned sense of self and the new conceptions of modern female identity that resulted from the interventions of American women in Parisian life.

Despite significant differences in their circumstances, the women in this exhibition shared many experiences and points of contact. Featuring over 85 artworks across various media and accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue, Brilliant Exiles visually graphs the social and creative networks and points of intersection that linked these various groups, with an emphasis on sites of sociability and production that were overseen by women. Through vivid portraits and compelling biographies, the catalogue and exhibition recover a history that will be unfamiliar to many museum visitors, revealing the impact that American Women had on modernist Paris, as well as the city’s transformative effect on these brilliant exiles from the United States.

 

This exhibition has been organized by the National Portrait Gallery and received Federal support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.

Member Coffee and Tour with the Curator
Saturday, March 29, 9:30 am to 11 am
Members will enjoy coffee and pastries before the Museum opens its doors to the public, followed by an exclusive tour of the new exhibition, Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939, led by Chief Curator Erika Holmquist-Wall.

March Community Day
Sunday, March 30, 1 pm to 4 pm

Clothed Figure Drawing
Thursday, April 3, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Model: Sydney Ware with inspiration from Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939

Spring Family Day
Friday, April 4, 1 pm to 4 pm
Bring your family to the Speed for a Spring Break adventure! The museum will be filled with activities for all ages, including art making, a scavenger hunt, fun in the galleries, and more! These activities will be included in your ticket to the Museum.

Adult Workshop
Saturday, April 5, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Explore the captivating stories of individuals featured in the Brilliant Exiles exhibition through the transformative art of portrait painting. This workshop invites participants to delve into themes of identity, displacement, and resilience, as seen through the lens of the exhibition’s extraordinary narratives. Taught by local artist, Ceirra Evans

Memories at the Museum 
Thursday and Saturday, April 10 & 12, 1 pm to 3 pm
Join us for a tour of the special exhibition Brilliant Exiles followed by discussion and art-making in the “drawing studio.”  

After Hours at the Speed
Friday, April 18, 5 pm to 9 pm 
Celebrate our newest exhibition at our flagship monthly annual event, After Hours!

Speed Reading Book Club 
Saturday, April 19, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Join us for Speed Reading Book Club, a book discussion inspired by both special exhibitions and artworks in the Speed’s permanent collection! You can find copies of all the Book Club books in the Museum Store.
Book: TBA