‘Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris’ at Georgia Museum of Art

Looking to escape to Paris this summer? The Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia will let you 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.

The exhibition chronicles the stories of more than 50 women who sought freedom from American prejudices based on gender, class, race and sexual orientation 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. It opened in Athens on July 19 and will be on view through November 2, 2025. 

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

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: 

• a French wine tasting event with the Lark Winespace on July 31 from 5 to 7 p.m. ($28 per person; purchase tickets at https://bit.ly/lark-wine-tasting) 
• a Toddler Tuesday on August 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 August 21 at 5:30 p.m.
• a Teen Studio program on August 21 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. (register by emailing gmoa-tours@uga.edu)
• a community open house on August 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 August 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. (register by emailing gmoa-tours@uga.edu)
• screenings of the films “Midnight in Paris” (August 28 at 7 p.m.) and “Coco Before Chanel” (October 16 at 7 p.m.)
• a gallery talk by Noel Corbin, doctoral student in fashion history and culture at UGA, on September 10 at 2 p.m.
• a series of three studio classes on portraiture on September 18, September 25 and October 2 from 6 to 8 p.m.; $35 Friend + Annual Fund Members (reciprocal and above)/$45 all others
• a tour of the exhibition in French on September 24 at 2 p.m.
• a Homeschool Day on September 26 from 10 a.m. to noon
• a Faculty Perspectives gallery talk by Susan Rosenbaum, associate professor of English at UGA, on October 8 at 2 p.m.
• and a Student Night on October 9 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

All programs are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated.

Written by: Nabiha Rahman.