Whistler's Mother
James McNeill Whistler · 1871
Oil on canvas
Quick answer
Whistler's Mother (1871) by James McNeill Whistler is in Musée d'Orsay, Paris. Whistler's Mother is an oil painting by American-born artist James McNeill Whistler, created in London in 1871. It depicts the artist's mother, Anna McNeill Whistler, seated in profile in a spare, tonal interior of grey and black. Whistler's own title was Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1, reflecting his belief that painting should be about formal and musical harmony rather than subject matter. The painting is displayed at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, France. World Museum Guide explains what you're looking at and how to see it.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Whistler's Mother?
Whistler's Mother (Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1) is in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, France. The French government purchased it in 1891 — it has been in French public collections ever since. The Musée d'Orsay is at 1 Rue de la Légion d'Honneur, Paris 7th arrondissement.
What is the real title of Whistler's Mother?
The real title is Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1. Whistler titled his works as 'Arrangements,' 'Harmonies,' 'Nocturnes,' or 'Symphonies' — musical terms that emphasised formal composition over subject matter. He was opposed to the sentimental reading of the painting as a tribute to motherhood, insisting it was primarily a study in tonal harmony.
Why is the painting called Whistler's Mother if that's not the real title?
The painting became popularly known as 'Whistler's Mother' because the subject — the artist's own mother seated in a domestic interior — was irresistible to audiences who preferred emotional identification over formal analysis. The popular title has completely displaced Whistler's preferred 'Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1' in common use, which would have frustrated the artist deeply.
Was Whistler's Mother in a Mr Bean film?
Yes — in the 1997 film Bean (starring Rowan Atkinson), Mr Bean accidentally destroys the painting while it is on loan to an American museum in Los Angeles. He attempts to repair it using a reproduction and ends up gluing part of his face to the canvas. The film used a reproduction rather than the actual painting. The film made the painting internationally famous to a new generation.
Who painted Whistler's Mother and where was he from?
James McNeill Whistler was born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1834. He grew up partly in Russia (where his father worked as an engineer) and studied art in Paris before settling in London in 1859, where he spent most of his career. Though born American, Whistler spent his adult life in Europe and is considered part of the British as well as American artistic tradition. He died in London in 1903.