Not only was she friends with unpopular policymakers – she was close to the Comte de Vaudreuil and Charles Alexandre de Calonne, in charge of finance – but she also suffered for her good looks and talent. It was a jewellery cabinet, producing quite the wrong effect. Unfortunately visitors to the 1787 Salon soon noticed a large piece of furniture lurking in the shadows. The commission was quite specific, says Gwenola Firmin, one of the contributors to the exhibition catalogue: the painting must “restore the image of Marie-Antoinette and enhance her respectability by playing up her role as a mother”. This prompted the painter to try her hand at what can only be described as propaganda, portraying the queen with her children. Little-liked from the outset, the “Austrian” had fallen from grace in the eyes of society after the diamond necklace scandal, which was seen as an attempt to defraud the crown. Her familiarity with Marie-Antoinette also attracted hostility. Theoretically it was against the rules, not on grounds of gender – there being about 15 women among the 600 members – but because her husband was a picture dealer, a calling academicians would not allow. Thanks to her royal patron she was allowed into the Académie de Peinture in 1783. The two women sang popular songs together. ![]() Vigée Le Brun was lively, talkative and blessed with a fine voice. Photograph: Gérard Blot/RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) Le Brun’s portrait entitled Marie-Antoinette and her Children (1787). Louis XVI was delighted to see his spouse in a new light, telling the artist: “I know nothing about painting, but you have made me like it.” Vigée Le Brun found ways of softening her features, in particular the prominent Habsburg chin. Marie Antoinette was sadly no beauty and could not stand her portraits. She earned a great deal, particularly after finding favour with the queen. Partly because it was his trade, but also – taking a cue from his father-in-law – he soon started pocketing the young artist’s fees. Le Brun decided the price of her paintings too, steadily pushing them up. She tried this out in a self-portrait, and made it a regular thing. It cast a light shade over her face, bringing out the half-tones. He took her on a trip to the Netherlands in 1781, where she discovered Rubens, in particular a portrait of Suzanna Lunden wearing a straw hat. His young wife was able to study a Titian, copying one of his Danae series. He was mainly known as an art dealer, with several old masters in stock. Ultimately she married yet another painter, Jean-Baptiste Pierre Le Brun, in 1775. Among their number are painters Vernet and Hubert Robert. Visitors may find it amusing to keep an eye open for the subjects staring into the middle distance. If the model started looking at her too closely, she would ask him to turn to one side and direct his gaze upwards. To be on the safe side, her mother acted as a chaperone during sittings. She had not yet turned 20 but already had an impressive range of clients. So she gave in and applied to join the Académie de Saint-Luc, which accepted her. ![]() After being reported for her illegal activities, her studio was placed under lock and seal in 1774. Not because her stepfather – her mother having remarried in 1768 – stole her income, but because artists had to belong to a corporation. ![]() It was equally inconceivable to live on her earnings as an artist, as she attempted to do in her teens. It would have been unthinkable for her to work with live models, often male and naked. In those days there was no question of a woman going to the Académie des Beaux-Arts. She also studied under Pierre Davesne, Gabriel François Doyen and Claude-Joseph Vernet, as well as attending a drawing school headed by Marie-Rosalie Hallé. Her father Louis Vigée was a well-known portrait artist and he ensured that his daughter made an early start with pastels – a genre in which she excelled. ![]() The upside is that most of the visitors really appreciate fine painting. These days people want to enjoy their art and this event is not really a crowd-pleaser. Perhaps the prospect of viewing a series of over 150 ancien régime portraits may seem daunting. In fact only the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, has ever devoted an exhibition exclusively to her work, and that was back in 1982. Surprisingly, this is the first time that Vigée Le Brun has been shown in France.
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