The exhibition is produced by the Réunion des Musées Nationaux-Grand Palais, France has never before held a retrospective for Le Brun. Her massive portrait of Antoinette, surrounded by her three children, is arguably her most famous painting. Vigée Le Brun is an artist whose life stretched from the reign of Louis XV to that of Louis-Philippe. Self-portraits by Vigée Le Brun abound: paintings, pastels and drawings that elegantly associate feminine grace and pride. With the Ancien Régime and its School of Fine Arts coming to an end, she supplanted most of her rival portrait artists. Vigée Le Brun used self-portraits to assert her status, circulate her image and show people the mother she had become despite the constraints of a career. In this respect, she made her greatest coup de force at the 1787 Exhibition where she presented two paintings that cannot be dissociated. First, a portrait of posing for a portrait surrounded by her children in an attempt to rectify the image of an extravagant libertine; secondly, the portrait of a female artist hugging her daughter Julie to her chest in an effusive Raphael-like manner. The latter is also one of the finest her works owned by the Louvre and has remained the emblem of «maternal tenderness» since it was first exhibited to the public. The culture of the Enlightenment and the influence of Rousseau obliged the artist to take on this role, which she did happily and with resounding success. As a counterpoint, she painted the Portrait of Hubert Robert. These paintings are absolute icons illustrating the joy of life and creative genius, complementing and communicating with each other. Click on this link to view and order Vigée Le Brun’s most famous painting - bit.ly/1LAHDqM

1. Exhibition: Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun at the Grand Palais.
The exhibition is produced by the
Réunion des Musées Nationaux-Grand Palais,
France has never before held a retrospective for
Le Brun. Her massive portrait of Antoinette,
surrounded by her three children, is arguably her
most famous painting.
Vigée Le Brun is an artist whose life
stretched from the reign of Louis XV to that of
Louis-Philippe. Self-portraits by Vigée Le Brun
abound: paintings, pastels and drawings that
elegantly associate feminine grace and pride.
With the Ancien Régime and its School of Fine
Arts coming to an end, she supplanted most of
her rival portrait artists.
Vigée Le Brun used self-portraits to assert
her status, circulate her image and show people
the mother she had become despite the constraints of a career. In this respect, she made
her greatest coup de force at the 1787 Exhibition where she presented two paintings that
cannot be dissociated.
First, a portrait of posing for a portrait surrounded by her children in an attempt
to rectify the image of an extravagant libertine; secondly, the portrait of a female artist
hugging her daughter Julie to her chest in an effusive Raphael-like manner.
The latter is also one of the finest her works owned by the Louvre and has
remained the emblem of «maternal tenderness» since it was first exhibited to the public.
The culture of the Enlightenment and the influence of Rousseau obliged the artist to
take on this role, which she did happily and with resounding success. As a counterpoint,
she painted the Portrait of Hubert Robert.
These paintings are absolute icons illustrating the joy of life and creative genius,
complementing and communicating with each other.
Click on this link to view and order Vigée Le Brun’s most famous painting -
bit.ly/1LAHDqM