Portrait of an Artist, 1755-1842

This biography follows the remarkable life of Louise-Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun, whose portraits of European royalty and nobility hang in many of the world's most important galleries. As a young woman in the male-dominated society of late 18th century France, she was denied an artistic education and forced to nurture her passion outside the restrictions of conventional schooling. Vigee Le Brun's vibrant art, in addition to her charm and beauty, caught the attention of Queen Marie-Antoinette, who honored her as her chosen painter. At the pinnacle of her fame and fortune, however, the Revolution forced Vigee Le Brun to flee Old Regime France, leaving everything behind except her only child.

Drawn from her memoirs, archival research, and reexamination of the judgment of her contemporaries, this book paints a fascinating picture of a single working mother who survived because of her cachet, charisma, and artistic talent. Cast on a storm-tossed continent, solely reliant on her palette, she produced some of her major works during her twelve-year exile, returning to France to continue her work after Napoleon had restored stability. Her story is one of triumph, adversity, perseverance, and ultimately peace.