Adélaïde Labille-Guiard was a long-ignored artist and feminist of eighteenth-century France who rose from shopkeepers daughter to an official portraitist of the royal court and defied societal barriers to become a member of the exclusive Académie Royale and a mentor for other ambitious women painters. Bridget Quinn's engaging biography offers a fascinating new perspective on the artists feminism, sexuality, and vision of the world, blending close analyses of paintings with broader context about the era and inserting delicately fictionalized interpersonal scenes that fill the gaps in the historical record.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 23 May 2024
Publisher: Chronicle Books

Discover the captivating story of Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, a long-ignored artist and feminist of eighteenth-century France, in this imaginative and illuminating biography from award-winning writer Bridget Quinn. Set in the vibrant and tumultuous years of the Royal Salon in Paris in 1783, the story follows Labille-Guiard's journey from a shopkeeper's daughter to an official portraitist of the royal court, only to have her achievements reduced to ash by the French Revolution. Despite the societal barriers she faced, Labille-Guiard defied expectations and became a member of the exclusive Académie Royale and a mentor for other ambitious women painters. However, her legacy was long overshadowed by celebrated portraitist and memoirist Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun. Quinn's insightful interpretation of art history brings a fresh perspective to Labille-Guiard's life, exploring her feminism, sexuality, and vision of the world. Through close analyses of paintings and broader context about the era, Quinn expertly blends historical facts with fictionalized interpersonal scenes that fill the gaps in the historical record. This compelling and inspiring look at an artist too long overlooked offers a glimpse into the life of a remarkable woman who challenged the norms of her time and left a lasting impact on the art world.

Discover the Story of Adélaïde Labille-Guiard: A Long-Ignored Artist and Feminist of Eighteenth-Century France

Summer in Paris, 1783. The Louvre steps, too hot and no breeze, the air electric with the heady anticipation of a coming storm: the years Royal Salon. Bewigged and powdered Parisians mill amid pigeons, dogs, and detritus; food and flower sellers; pamphleteers and propagandists. Men and women of every estate (clergy, nobles, commoners) are united under art: to love it, to despise it, to gossip endlessly about it.

Exhibiting at the Royal Salon was not for the faint of heart, and it was never intended for women. Enter Adélaïde Labille-Guiard . . .

Born in Paris in 1749, Adélaïde Labille-Guiard rose from shopkeeper's daughter to an official portraitist of the royal court—only to have her achievements reduced to ash by the French Revolution. While she defied societal barriers to become a member of the exclusive Académie Royale and a mentor for other ambitious women painters, she left behind few writings, and her legacy was long overshadowed by celebrated portraitist and memoirist Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun.

But Adélaïde Labille-Guiards story lives on. In this engaging biography, Bridget Quinn applies her insightful interpretation of art history to Labille-Guiard's life. She offers a fascinating new perspective on the artist's feminism, her sexuality, and her vision of the world. Quinn expertly blends close analyses of paintings with broader context about the era and inserts delicately fictionalized interpersonal scenes that fill the gaps in the historical record. This is a compelling and inspiring look at an artist too long overlooked.

Discover the Captivating Story of Adélaïde Labille-Guiard: A Long-Ignored Artist and Feminist of Eighteenth-Century France

Discover the captivating story of Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, a long-ignored artist and feminist of eighteenth-century France, in this imaginative and illuminating biography from award-winning writer Bridget Quinn. Set in the vibrant and tumultuous years of the Royal Salon in Paris in 1783, the story follows Labille-Guiard's journey from a shopkeeper's daughter to an official portraitist of the royal court, only to have her achievements reduced to ash by the French Revolution. Despite the societal barriers she faced, Labille-Guiard defied expectations and became a member of the exclusive Académie Royale and a mentor for other ambitious women painters. However, her legacy was long overshadowed by celebrated portraitist and memoirist Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun. Quinn's insightful interpretation of art history brings a fresh perspective to Labille-Guiard's life, exploring her feminism, sexuality, and vision of the world. Through close analyses of paintings and broader context about the era, Quinn expertly blends historical facts with fictionalized interpersonal scenes that fill the gaps in the historical record. This compelling and inspiring look at an artist too long overlooked offers a glimpse into the life of a remarkable woman who challenged the norms of her time and left a lasting impact on the art world.

Weight: 770g
Dimension: 194 x 242 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781797211879