John Singer Sargent was born in Florence, Italy to American ex-patriots. Sargent received his first art instruction at Rome in 1868, and then attended the Accademia delle Belle Arti in Florence between 1870 and 1873. In 1874 he was accepted at the Paris at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. at age 21 that would he visit America for the first time. Well schooled and fluent in several languages, Sargent moved with ease in European aristocracy. When combined with his artistic training by the famous Parisian portraitist Carolus-Duran, Sargent launched a lifelong career of success after success. He lived in Western Europe for much of his life, Sargent became one of the world's greatest portraitists and muralists of his time. With his virtuoso handling of paint and ingenious compositions, he brilliantly captured his sitter's character, and focused on their aristocratic refinement and individual hauteur. He is perhaps the most sought after American artist of his time.