These American women forged new paths in Paris

Looking to escape to Paris this summer? The Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia will let guests do that without leaving the state through the exhibition “Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939.”

This exhibition focuses on the impact of American women on Paris — and of Paris on American women — from the turn of the 20th century until the outbreak of World War II. It chronicles the stories of more than 50 women who sought freedom from American prejudices in Paris, the cradle of modern culture at the time, through portraits and biography. Abroad, they were able to pursue personal and professional aspirations that would have been impossible to achieve in the United States.

“Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939,” is curated by Robyn Asleson, curator of prints and drawings, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, and will be on display July 19 to Nov. 2.

“We are thrilled to showcase works by and of these trailblazing women who took Paris by storm. These striking portraits capture their verve, ambition, tenacity and passion,” said Nelda Damiano, the Georgia Museum’s Pierre Daura Curator of European Art.

The exhibition includes more than 60 portraits of cultural influencers, such as Sylvia Beach, Josephine Baker, Natalie Clifford Barney, Elsie de Wolfe, Isadora Duncan, Zelda Fitzgerald and Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. As foreigners in a cosmopolitan city, these “exiles” escaped the constraints that limited them at home. They used their newfound freedom to pursue experiments in a variety of fields, including art, literature, design, publishing, music, fashion, journalism, theater and dance. These women were able to fully embrace their multiply marginalized identities while in Paris. Their self-understanding and acceptance imbued their work with culture-shifting power, paving the way for modernist movements and expanding possibilities for women in the United States.

The exhibition reveals the dynamic role of portraiture in articulating the new identities that American women were at liberty to develop in Paris, with works by artists including Berenice Abbott, Louise Heron Blair, Tsuguharu Foujita, Anne Goldthwaite, Loïs Mailou Jones, Isamu Noguchi, Man Ray, Anne Estelle Rice, Augusta Savage and Edward Steichen.

“Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939” is organized by the Smithsonian’s 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.

Related events include:

• an opening reception on July 18 from 5:30-7 p.m. (free for Friend + Annual Fund Members; $15 others; register at https://bit.ly/brilliant-after-hours)
• a French wine tasting event with the Lark Winespace on July 31 from 5-7 p.m. ($28 per person; purchase tickets at https://bit.ly/lark-wine-tasting)
• a Toddler Tuesday on Aug. 2 at 10 a.m. (register by emailing gmoa-tours@uga.edu)
• a lecture by Robyn Asleson, curator of prints and drawings at the National Portrait Gallery, on Aug. 21 at 5:30 p.m.
• a Teen Studio program on Aug. 21 from 5:30-8 p.m. (register by emailing gmoa-tours@uga.edu)
• a community open house on Aug. 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., including Family Day from 10 a.m. to noon and drop-in events throughout the afternoon (free registration at https://bit.ly/open-house-fall-25)
• a 1920s fashion-inspired figure drawing open studio on Aug. 28 from 6-8 p.m. (register by emailing gmoa-tours@uga.edu)
• screenings of the films “Midnight in Paris” (Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.) and “Coco Before Chanel” (Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.)
• a gallery talk by Noel Corbin, doctoral student in fashion history and culture at UGA, on Sept. 10 at 2 p.m.
• a series of three studio classes on portraiture on Sept. 18, Sept. 25 and Oct. 2 from 6-8 p.m.; $35 Friend + Annual Fund Members (reciprocal and above, $45 all others
• a tour of the exhibition in French on Sept. 24 at 2 p.m.
• a Homeschool Day on Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to noon
• a Faculty Perspectives gallery talk by Susan Rosenbaum, associate professor of English, on Oct. 8 at 2 p.m.
• and a Student Night on Oct. 9 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Family Day is sponsored by Heyward Allen Cadillac-GMC-Toyota. All programs are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated.