I Am Madame X: A Novel

Gioia Diliberto

Mar 2003 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

An intriguing and absorbing novel about the life of Virginie Gautreau, the subject of John Singer Sargent's most famous portrait Madame X, which scandalized the 1884 Paris Salon—perfect for fans of the bestselling Girl with a Pearl Earring.

When John Singer Sargent unveiled Madame X—his famous portrait of twenty-three-year-old American beauty Virginie Gautreau—at the 1884 Paris Salon, its subject's bold pose, bare shoulders, and provocative dress shocked the public and the critics, who found the portrait displaying Virginie's blatant sexuality bizarre, artificial, and unwholesome. The scandal destroyed Sargent's dreams of a career in Paris, forcing him to flee to England.

In this remarkable novel, Gioia Diliberto imagines Virginie's side of the story, drawing on the few known historical facts to re-create Virginie's tempestuous personality and the captivating milieu of nineteenth-century Paris. Born in New Orleans and raised on a lush plantation, Virginie fled to France during the Civil War, where she was absorbed into the fascinating and wealthy world of grand ballrooms, dressmakers' salons, and artists' ateliers. Even before Sargent painted her portrait, Virginie's reputation for promiscuity and showy self-display made her the subject of vicious Paris gossip.

Immersing the reader in Belle Epoque Paris, I Am Madame X is a compulsively readable and richly imagined novel illuminating the struggle between Virginie and Sargent over the outcome of a painting that changed their lives and affected the course of art history.

Ratings and reviews

John Singer Sargent? s most celebrated work is Portrait of Madame X, one of the most famous works of art of the 19th century. However the painting caused a scandal when it was revealed at the 1884 Salon in France. This book is a fictional account of the woman behind the portrait, Virginie Gautreau, an American expatriate. A well known beauty in French society, Madame Gautreau?s reputation (such as it was) was destroyed by the unveiling of this painting, as was Sargents, who chose to leave Paris for good. The author has depicted a very vivid and interesting early life for Virginie, however in the long run the subject comes across as shallow and self-serving. She actually seemed to me a Paris Hilton of her day, renowned for nothing more than attending parties and being what was termed a professional beauty. The writing captured the essence of the time, and I found parts of the story fascinating, but the main character often seemed so whiny that I really didn?t like her much. I did appreciate the authors notes at the end, where she clarifies some of the history of the story, indicating the fictional adaptations she made. An interesting if not particularly riveting read.

I am Madame X

About the author

Gioia Diliberto has written biographies of Jane Addams, Hadley Hemingway, and Brenda Frazier, as well as the critically acclaimed novels I Am Madame X and The Collection. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her family.