Elisabeth Vige Le Brun: The Odyssey of an Artist in an Age of Revolution

About this book

The story of Marie Antoinettes portraitist a remarkable woman living in dangerous times The foremost woman artist of her age Elisabeth Vige Le Brun (17551842) exerted her considerable charm to become the friend and then official portraitist of Marie Antoinette. Though profitable this role made Vige Le Brun a public and controversial figure and in 1789 it precipitated her exile. In a Europe torn by strife and revolution she nevertheless managed to thrive as an independent self-supporting artist doggedly setting up studios in Rome Naples Venice Milan Vienna St. Petersburg and London. Long overlooked or dismissed Vige Le Bruns portraits now hang in the Louvre in a room of their own as well as in all leading art museums of the world. This gripping biography tells the story of a singularly gifted and high-spirited woman during the revolutionary era and explores the development and significance of her art. The book also recounts the public and private lives of Elisabeth Vige Le Brun connecting her with such personalities of her age as Catherine the Great Napoleon and Benjamin Franklin and setting her experiences in the context of contemporary European politics and culture. A generous selection of illustrations including sixteen of Vige Le Bruns portraits presented in full color completes this exceptional volume.