Giovanni Boldini

Giovanni Boldini was an Italian painter who became one of the most fashionable portrait artists in Paris around 1900. Born in Ferrara in 1842, he settled in the French capital and specialized in glamorous, swirling portraits of high society women in flowing gowns. His dashing, whip-like brushwork gave his sitters a sense of movement, elegance, and dazzling energy.

He was a master of suggesting silk, satin, and the sparkle of jewelry with quick, confident strokes. His portraits captured the glittering world of the Belle Epoque, the elegant era before the First World War. Boldini's stylish, high-spirited society portraits remain his best known work and continue to charm with their sheer flair.