William-Adolphe Bouguereau
Bouguereau financed his early art education by making hand-coloured lithographs for food product labels. He was born in 1825 in La Rochelle, into a family of wine and olive oil merchants. Sent to study for the priesthood at fourteen, he learned to draw from a teacher who had studied under Ingres.
Key facts
- Lived
- 1825–1905, France
- Movement
- Works held in
- 40 museums
Biography
At the height of his career he was arguably the most commercially successful painter alive. His large-scale nudes, classical mythological scenes, and religious paintings were technically flawless in a way that impressed collectors and enraged the avant-garde in equal measure. The Impressionists despised him as the embodiment of everything academic painting did wrong: slick, idealised, emotionally vacant. After his death in 1905, the avant-garde buried his reputation for nearly a century.
Three of his children died in infancy. Their mother Nelly died in 1877. His mother made him swear, after Nelly's death, never to remarry while she lived. He honoured the oath. His engagement to his student Elizabeth Jane Gardner lasted seventeen years. They married in 1896, after his mother died at ninety-one. Gardner was herself a notable painter, the first American woman to exhibit at the Paris Salon. His reputation has undergone a reappraisal since the late twentieth century.
Timeline
- 1825Born on 30 November in La Rochelle, France, into a family of wine and olive oil merchants. He was raised Roman Catholic in a middle-class household.
- 1846At 20, moved to Paris to study painting, entering the studio of Francois-Edouard Picot. He had saved the money for the move through portrait commissions in Bordeaux.
- 1850At 26, won the Prix de Rome with Zenobia Found by Shepherds on the Banks of the Araxes, securing a three-year residency at the Villa Medici in Rome.
- 1866At 40, married his model Marie-Nelli Monchablon in Paris after a decade together. They already had two children, Henriette and Georges.
- 1875At 49, began teaching drawing at the Academie Julian in Paris, where he became known for advocating the training of female artists within the institution.
- 1885At 59, received the Grand Medal of Honour and was appointed Commander of the Legion of Honour in Paris. He was considered the foremost Salon painter of his generation.
- 1896At 70, married the American painter Elizabeth Jane Gardner in Paris after a two-decade engagement that had been delayed by his mother's disapproval.
- 1905Died on 19 August in La Rochelle, aged 79, from heart disease. He had completed at least 822 paintings over his career, often finishing twenty or more canvases per year.
Notable Works
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Where to See William-Adolphe Bouguereau
40 museums worldwide.
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13 works
Musée d'Orsay
Paris, France
- 10 works
Cleveland Museum of Art
Wade Park, United States
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4 works
Beaux-Arts de Paris
Paris, France
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3 works
Baltimore Museum of Art
Charles Village, United States
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5 works
Chimei Museum
Rende District, Taiwan
- 7 works
Pérez Simón Collection
Mexico City, Mexico
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where did william adolphe bouguereau live?
William-Adolphe Bouguereau was born in La Rochelle, a seaport. He later moved to Paris at the age of 20.What is william adolphe bouguereau known for?
William-Adolphe Bouguereau is known for his technically skilled paintings. His large-scale nudes, classical mythological scenes, and religious paintings impressed collectors, but were disliked by the avant-garde.Who was william adolphe bouguereau?
William-Adolphe Bouguereau was a French painter born in 1825. He studied with the neoclassicist painter François-Édouard Picot and won the Prix de Rome in 1850.William adolphe bouguereau art style?
William-Adolphe Bouguereau studied with the neoclassicist painter François-Édouard Picot. He also had the opportunity to experience masterworks of the Italian Renaissance and classical antiquity firsthand.William adolphe bouguereau art movement?
William-Adolphe Bouguereau studied with the neoclassicist painter François-Édouard Picot. He also had the opportunity to experience masterworks of the Italian Renaissance and classical antiquity firsthand.When was william adolphe bouguereau born?
William-Adolphe Bouguereau was born in 1825 in France. He died in 1905, aged 80.