Description

Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (1749–1803), a remarkable portraitist, was among the small number of women ever granted membership in the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Her work was sought out by such diverse figures as the aunts of Louis XVI and the future American president Thomas Jefferson. Yet, unlike her contemporary and fellow Academy member,Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun, Labille-Guiard remained in France during the Revolution and participated in the reinvention of the country, its art, and its women. Tracing the fascinating story of her rise and fall in the context of her tumultuous times, Laura Auricchio fills major gaps in the scholarship on art in the age of the French Revolution, on women artists, and particularly on the intriguing figure of Labille-Guiard herself. The artist is represented in the J. Paul Getty Museum by one of her finest works, the 1779 pastel Delightful Surprise; her paintings are held in a number of important museums in America and Europe.

About the Author

 Laura Auricchio is assistant professor of art history at the School of Art and Design History and Theory, Parsons The New School for Design.

Praise For…

 “At last, Labille-Guiard receives her fair account in the history of women artists.”—HerStoria Magazine

 “This concise study, written in lucid prose, offers a detailed biography and close analyses of the most important works.”—The Art Book

 “During the Revolution [Labille-Guiard] cast her lot with neither party, which helped her to survive but caused her to fall between the cracks of history.  This book, the first in English on its subject, restores her to her proper place.”—Art & Antiques

 “A beautifully produced monograph. . . . Auricchio guides us securely through current theories and compellingly narrates the political events.”—Apollo