Directed by David Bickerstaff (UK, 2024, 90 min.). Presented with open captions.

Step into the glittering world of fashion, scandal, and shameless self-promotion that made John Singer Sargent the painter who defined an era.

Sargent is known as the greatest portrait artist of his time; what made his swaggering portraits remarkable was the power he seemed to have over his affluent sitters—including what they wore. Casting its lens on the MFA’s recent exhibition “Fashioned by Sargent,” the latest documentary from Exhibition on Screen examines the ways in which Sargent’s unique practice has influenced modern art, culture, and fashion. Through interviews with curators, contemporary fashionistas, and style influencers, the film reveals Sargent’s power to express distinctive personalities, power dynamics, and gender identities during a fascinating period of cultural reinvention.

On Sunday, May 26, only, stay tuned after the screening for a virtual conversation between documentary producer Phil Grabsky and Erica Hirshler, Croll Senior Curator of American Paintings, Art of the Americas, and MFA curator of “Fashioned by Sargent.”