The imposing 1.6m-tall portrait, created by late iconic American artist James Whistler, has fascinated and intrigued audiences for decades with its striking depiction of a stern-looking elderly woman sitting in profile, revealing a psychological tension between mother and son.
This intimate exhibition explores the work through a series of rooms which reveal the life of the artist James Whistler and his pious mother Anna as well as the work’s immense social and historical impact and its fascinating Australian connections.
