The picture, showing a firework display at the Cremorne Pleasure Gardens near Whistler's fashionable Chelsea home, became the centre of a celebrated court case. The distinguished critic, John Ruskin, hated it and accused Whistler of 'throwing a pot of paint in the public's face' when he put a price of 200 guineas (£210) on the work. Whistler sued for libel.
Perhaps the most famous exchange came when the painter was asked how long it had taken him to paint the picture, and he replied a couple of days. The Attorney-General was incensed and said; 'The labour of two days is that for which you ask 200 guineas?' Whistler replied: 'No. I ask it for the knowledge I have gained in the work of a lifetime.'
The good news for Whistler was that he won the case. The bad news was that he was awarded the deliberately insulting damages of one farthing (c 0.1p). The legal fees broke him and he had to leave his Chelsea home.
The exhibition does feature another fireworks picture Nocturne: Black and Gold. The Fire Wheel, which is well worth a look. If you want to know more about fireworks in art and the arts, there's a chapter in my book A History of Fireworks from Their Origins to the Present Day (Reaktion Books).
