1755 -1842 · European portrait, Marie-Antoinette and international career

Luminous carnations, supple fabrics, lively looks and natural elegance make Vigée Le Brun one of the great portraitists of the Europe of the Enlightenment.

Élisabeth Louise Vigée was born in Paris in 1755. Her father, the pastellist Louis Vigée, recognized her dispositions very early on, but her death forced the teenager to quickly become a professional painter. She studied masters in Parisian collections and trained through contact with Gabriel Briard, Gabriel-François Doyen and Joseph Vernet. Married in 1776 to the merchant Jean-Baptiste Pierre Le Brun, she was called to Versailles two years later to paint Marie-Antoinette. The queen became his protector and most famous model in 1776. Married in 1776 to the merchant Jean-Baptiste Pierre Le Brun, she was called to Versailles two years later to paint Marie-Antoinette. The queen became his protector and most famous model. Vigée Le Brun softened the court portrait with a fluid touch, warm colors and a more intimate expression, as in the Self-Portrait with a Hat straw or Marie Antoinette with a rose. Received at the Royal Academy in 1783, she presented Peace Bringing Abundance as a reception piece. The Revolution forced her to leave France in 1789 with her daughter. For more than twelve years, she worked in Rome, Naples, Vienna, Saint Petersburg and Berlin for European courts. Returning to Paris in 1802, she continued to paint, travel and write her Memories. She died in 1842 after an exceptionally long and independent career. Returning to Paris in 1802, she continued to paint, travel and write her Memories. She died in 1842 after an exceptionally long and independent career. Returning to Paris in 1802, she continued to paint, travel and wrote her Memories. She died in 1842 after an exceptionally long and independent career. The "Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun" selection notably compared Self-portrait with a straw hat and Marie-Antoinette in Gaulle. His reading favors composition.

Vigée Le Brun retains the rank of the model while approaching it: light, smile and movement give the official portrait the spontaneity of an encounter.