Collection: William-Adolphe Bouguereau

William-Adolphe Bouguereau (30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female human body. During his life, he enjoyed significant popularity in France and the United States, was given numerous official honors, and received top prices for his work. As the quintessential salon painter of his generation, he was reviled by the Impressionist avant-garde.

By the early twentieth century, Bouguereau and his art fell out of favor with the public, due in part to changing tastes. In the 1980s, a revival of interest in figure painting led to a rediscovery of Bouguereau and his work. He finished 822 known paintings, but the whereabouts of many are still unknown.

He studied under François-Édouard Picot. Among his canonical works are Dawn, Dante and Virgil in Hell, The Birth of Venus, and The First Mourning. He worked primarily in mythological painting and portrait. His work is rooted in Pont-Aven School. The work sits within the Realism tradition, specifically the Academic Art current.