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Wishing to flee to Paris this summer? The Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia allows visitors to do just that without departing the state through the exhibition “Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939.”

This exhibition highlights the influence of American women on Paris — and vice versa — from the dawn of the 20th century until the onset of World War II. It tells the tales of over 50 women who sought liberation from American biases in Paris, the epicenter of modern culture at the time, via portraits and biographies. Overseas, they were able to chase personal and professional dreams that would have been unattainable in the United States.

“Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939,” is curated by Robyn Asleson, curator of prints and drawings at the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, and will be showcased from July 19 to Nov. 2.

“We are excited to feature works by and about these groundbreaking women who captivated Paris. These captivating portraits embody their vigor, ambition, grit, and fervor,” remarked Nelda Damiano, the Georgia Museum’s Pierre Daura Curator of European Art.

The exhibition comprises over 60 portraits of cultural icons, including Sylvia Beach, Josephine Baker, Natalie Clifford Barney, Elsie de Wolfe, Isadora Duncan, Zelda Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. As outsiders in a diverse city, these “exiles” evaded the limitations that confined them at home. They embraced their newfound liberty to explore ventures across a myriad of fields, such as art, literature, design, publishing, music, fashion, journalism, theater, and dance. These women could wholly accept their various marginalized identities while residing in Paris. Their self-awareness and acceptance infused their work with transformative power, paving the path for modernist movements and broadening opportunities for women in the United States.

The exhibition unveils the lively role of portraiture in expressing the new identities that American women were free to cultivate in Paris, featuring works by artists like 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 has received federal support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative Pool, managed by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.

Upcoming events include:

• an opening reception on July 18 from 5:30-7 p.m. (free for Friend + Annual Fund Members; $15 for others; register at https://bit.ly/brilliant-after-hours)
• a French wine tasting event with Lark Winespace on July 31 from 5-7 p.m. ($28 per person; buy tickets at https://bit.ly/lark-wine-tasting)
• a Toddler Tuesday on Aug. 2 at 10 a.m. (register by sending an email to [email protected])
• a lecture by Robyn Asleson, curator of prints and drawings at the National Portrait Gallery, on Aug. 21 at 5:30 p.m.
• a Teen Studio program on Aug. 21 from 5:30-8 p.m. (register by emailing [email protected])
• a community open house on Aug. 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring Family Day from 10 a.m. to noon and drop-in activities throughout the afternoon (free registration at https://bit.ly/open-house-fall-25)
• a 1920s fashion-inspired figure drawing open studio on Aug. 28 from 6-8 p.m. (register by emailing [email protected])
• screenings of the films “Midnight in Paris” (Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.) and “Coco Before Chanel” (Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.)
• a gallery talk by Noel Corbin, PhD student in fashion history and culture at UGA, on Sept. 10 at 2 p.m.
• a series of three studio classes on portraiture on Sept. 18, Sept. 25, and Oct. 2 from 6-8 p.m.; $35 for Friend + Annual Fund Members (reciprocal and above); $45 for all others
• a guided tour of the exhibition in French on Sept. 24 at 2 p.m.
• a Homeschool Day on Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to noon
• a Faculty Perspectives gallery talk by Susan Rosenbaum, associate professor of English, on Oct. 8 at 2 p.m.
• and a Student Night on Oct. 9 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Family Day is sponsored by Heyward Allen Cadillac-GMC-Toyota. All programs are complimentary and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

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