Pittsburgh-born John White Alexander (1856-1915) was an internationally recognized portrait painter, on a par with his contemporaries John Singer Sargent and William Merritt Chase. However, the works that have earned him even greater acclaim than his portraits are his figure paintings of women striking evocative poses and elaborately arranged in flowing dresses. His talent blossomed after he encountered Juliette Very, the Parisian model who became his muse. In finding his own unique style, he applied the lessons of muted and harmonious coloration from James McNeil Whistler and learned to use bold abstract forms and flowing lines from the post-impressionist group of painters, the Nabis. This biography is the first to provide an in-depth account of Alexander's varied life and a career practised between America and Europe.