Collection: Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun

Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755–1842) was a French painter born and died in Paris. She specialized in portraiture during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Her artistic style is generally considered part of the aftermath of Rococo, incorporating elements of an adopted Neoclassical style. She established her reputation by serving as the portrait painter to Marie Antoinette.

Vigée Le Brun's extensive oeuvre includes 660 portraits and 200 landscapes. Her work, such as the *Portrait of Queen Marie Antoinette of France*, garnered her the patronage of European aristocrats, actors, and writers. She was elected to art academies in ten cities, and contemporary artists like Joshua Reynolds recognized her skill in portraiture.

Between 1835 and 1837, Vigée Le Brun published her three-volume memoirs, *Souvenirs*, which contained biographical sketches and advice for young portraitists. Her paintings are held in major museums, including the Louvre in Paris, the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.