In the latter half of the 19th century, American painters flocked to France to learn from their French counterparts. One such artist was Mary Cassatt, who was born in Pennsylvania but lived much of her adult life in France, where her paintings showcased women going about their lives. Another was James Abbott McNeill Whistler, who headed to Paris in 1855, and joined a circle of artists that included Courbet and Manet. This exhibition, the first to examine the stylistic impact of France on American painting—from classicism to realism to tonalism to impressionism—presents more than 100 works made between 1855 and 1913. —E.C.

Travels to: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (April 16 to July 31, 2022)