|
Showing 1 - 2 of
2 matches in All Departments
At the age of 15, Elisabeth Vige-Lebrun was earning enough money
from her portrait painting to support herself, her widowed mother
and her younger brother. She became Marie Antoinettes favorite
painter; European aristocrats, actors and writers were also her
patrons; and she was elected a member of the art academies in 10
cities. Trained by her father, the minor portraitist Louis Vige,
she joined Pariss Academy of Saint Luke at 19. Two years later she
married Pierre Lebrun, an art dealer who helped her gain valuable
access to the art world. Her talent soon came to the attention of
the French queen, who in 1783 appointed her a member of Pariss
prestigious Academie Royale. As one of only four female
academicians, Vige-Lebrun enjoyed a high artistic, social and
political profile. But once the French Revolution came in 1789, she
was forced to flee the country with her nine-year old daughter.
During the next 12 years she painted portraits of the most
celebrated residents of Rome, Vienna, St.Petersburg, Moscow and
Berlin. After successful stays in England and Switzerland,
Vige-Lebrun returned to France in 1809 and wrote her memoirs when
she was 80 years old. She produced more than 600 paintings, many of
them now in the major museums of the world.
|
|
Email address subscribed successfully.
A activation email has been sent to you.
Please click the link in that email to activate your subscription.