James McNeill Whistler and France

In this first full-length study to position James McNeill Whistler within the trajectory of French modernism, his dialogues with Courbet, Manet, Degas, Monet and Seurat are examined in-depth. Inserting Whistler into the dynamics of the French avant-garde reveals the depth and pervasiveness of his presence and the revolutionary nature of his role in shaping modernism.