Six Decades with Sargent, Cassatt and Prendergast
New York
November 16 - December 18, 2026
Cover Image:
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), Judith Gautier, c. 1883-85, Watercolor and pencil on paper, 13 ½ x 10 ½ inches
Since opening my gallery in Boston in 1966, I have had the privilege of handling some singular works by American painters of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. There have been three artists, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, and Maurice Prendergast, who became the center of my professional life, and I devoted a part of my career to their exhibition and study. That was not about a single work of art that was for sale. It was about seeing the artist within the context of their career; it meant years of looking closely, tracing each picture’s history from owner to owner, and working alongside scholars who cared as deeply as I did about thinking critically and objectively.
After more than sixty years with these artists, I am proud of what we have accomplished and of the exhibitions and publications the gallery has produced. More so, I am grateful for the people I have met along the way. Eugenie Prendergast – the artist’s sister-in-law and estate manager – became a dear friend, along with the team from Williamstown that produced the Maurice Prendergast Catalogue Raisonné. The Ormond family morphed into my family, and we had great adventures following Sargent’s trail. We produced ten volumes of John Singer Sargent: Complete Paintings, published by Yale University Press. The descendants of Mary Cassatt allowed me to link with this special artist through their kindness, generosity, and gentle natures. They have supported the revision of the Mary Cassatt Catalogue Raisonné, which will be produced online.
For the past decade, I have felt there was little left for me to add academically. I realized that this year marks six decades of Adelson Galleries, so I thought I might put together some favorite works of art to exhibit. Some have been hanging in Jan’s and my home for years, and others have recently come my way, thanks to our longtime connection with the families and collectors of these artists.
Many of the works come from my personal collection and have never been offered for sale. Others are quality examples by the artists who shaped my career. They include On the Simplon by John Singer Sargent, Mother’s Kiss by Mary Cassatt, and St. Malo by Maurice Prendergast, among many others.
I am deeply grateful to the colleagues, collectors, curators, and scholars who have supported Adelson Galleries over the years. A gallery is, in the end, its people as much as its pictures. I am proud that my children are carrying the baton: Adam and Alexa, who show contemporary art in Palm Beach, Florida, and Alan and Georgia, who continue our work in the Northeast.
— Warren Adelson
