“Romaine Brooks (1874-1970) was an expatriate American who forged a life of exemplary modernity as she circulated among the most refined circles in Paris, London, and Capri during times of dynamic change. Her most active professional period, from 1910 to 1925, was one of political and cultural upheaval, punctuated by World War I and the dramatic shifts that resulted. As sole heir to a mining fortune after the death of her mother and brother, Brooks enjoyed a degree on independence unusual for women of the era and used her autonomy and privilege to challenge convention. Brook’s financial freedom meant she had complete control over her professional life, including the subjects she chose, how she painted them, and where she exhibited. She embraced innovation in her stylized forms, muted palette, and deft compositions, but she resisted abstraction in favor of the human figure and psychological exploration. Her subjects were almost exclusively women, but she refused to present them as objects. Instead she confronted the sexism of the period’s art and opposed prevailing conceptions of creativity as a male enterprise.” — Introductory wall text
Romaine Brooks, Madame Errazuris, 1908 and 1910, oil on canvas. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the artist.
Romaine Brooks, Azalées Blanches (White Azaleas), 1910, oil on canvas. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the artist.
Romaine Brooks, Le Trajet, about 1911, oil on canvas. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the artist.
Romaine Brooks, La France Croisée, 1914, oil on canvas. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the artist.
Romaine Brooks, Ida Rubinstein, 1917, oil on canvas. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the artist.
Romaine Brooks, Self-Portrait, 1923, oil on canvas. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the artist.
Romaine Brooks, Peter (A Young English Girl), 1923-1924, oil on canvas. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the artist.
Romaine Brooks, Una, Lady Troubridge, 1924, oil on canvas. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the artist.
Romaine Brooks, La Baronne Emile D’Erlanger, about 1924, oil on canvas. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the artist.
Romaine Brooks, Le Duc Uberto Strozzi, 1961, oil on canvas. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the artist.
Romaine Brooks, Death and the Peasant (La Mort et la Paysanne), 1930, pencil on paper. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the artist.
Romaine Brooks, Departure, ca. 1930, pencil on paper. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the artist.
Romaine Brooks, Lethe, 1930, pencil on paper. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the artist.
Romaine Brooks, Unity of Good and Evil (Unite du Bien et du Mal), 1930-1934, pencil on paperboard. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the artist.
Images courtesy Smithsonian American Art Museum
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