James McNeill Whistler , “ Arrangement in Grey and Black No . 1 ,” 1871
ssigning nationalities to great artists can be tricky . The Frenchman Marcel Duchamp and the German George Grosz both became American citizens , but they are rarely classified as American artists . On the other hand , the Dutchman Willem De Kooning , who became a citizen at 62 , is always thought of as an American .
Three 19th century painters appear in all the books of great
American artists , although they lived nearly their whole lives in Europe and created their masterpieces there : James Abbott McNeill Whistler ( 1834- 1903 ), Mary Cassatt ( 1844-1926 ), and John Singer Sargent ( 1856- 1925 ).
Of the three , Whistler spent the least amount of time in the United States . His father was a famous engineer hired by Czar Nicholas I to build a railroad from Moscow to Saint Petersburg . When he grew up to be a famous artist , he claimed St . Petersburg as his birthplace . A journalist told Whistler that a little research had shown he was born in Lowell , Massachusetts , and the artist replied that as an American he had rights , and one of those was the right to choose his birthplace . By that time , Whistler was as famous for his arrogance as for his art .
Jimmy Whistler spent three years of his childhood in St . Petersburg and London . He showed an aptitude for art early and got
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