Shady Ladies tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Courtesans, royal mistresses, scandalous women of every sort—the walls of the Metropolitan Museum are lined with them, from ancient Greek hetaerae to Sargent’s Madame X. These women, famous not only for sex-appeal but also for their talents—and for a spirit which today we would call ‘entrepreneurial’— fascinated both their wealthy patrons and the artists who created the world’s great masterpieces.

To find out more, join us as we explore the lives and loves that lie behind the paintings. On this fun and informative two-hour tour, we will learn about:

• the first nude female statue in ancient Greece and the hetaera who modelled for it
• the oiran of the pleasure quarter of 18th century Tokyo
• a Venetian courtesan who published books of poetry
• the official royal mistresses of the French kings
• the official royal mistresses of the French kings
• a royal bastard who is the ancestor of many English aristocrats
• the grandes horizontales of Belle Epoque Paris
• And so much more…