The moral of the story is? Sometimes it’s chill to stay friends with your ex. Petersburg and her daughter married a Russian Nobleman (which mama was not happy about).Įventually, thanks to a campaign mostly sustained by her now-ex-husband, she was able to return to France. She really made a life for herself in Russia -she got accepted into the Academy of Fine Arts of St. In Russia she did a lot of portraits for the nobility, though there was some tension due to differences in aesthetics. She spent time in Italy, Austria, and Russia. But when the French Revolution hit and the royals were captured, Vigée Le Brun had to flee the country with her daughter.
In turn, Marie Antoinette was the one who helped Louise get accepted into the Académie. Vigée Le Brun also was commissioned by Marie Antoinette to paint portraits of the queen in amicable scenarios in order to boost the queen’s PR. This was unconventional, thus unacceptable. In 1787 she painted a self portrait that was way scandalous because she was - get this- - smiling with an open mouth. Then, in 1781, she and her husband ditched the kid and toured Flanders and the Netherlands to learn new art techniques. #Priorities. In 1780 Vigée Le Brun and her husband had a daughter, who they called Julie. This painter-husband, by the way, was the great-great-nephew of Charles le Brun.
MARIE ANTOINETTE PORTRAIT PAINTER LICENSE
In her early teens she was already painting portraits professionally, but her studio was seized because she didn’t have a license to paint…weird, right? Shortly after, she applied to the Académie de Saint Luc, made it in, and then married another painter. They moved close to the Palais Royale, and Vigée was later patronized by a wealthy heiress, Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon. Her mom remarried and this time she married rich. Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun was the daughter of a painter, so naturally her first teacher was her dad.īut when she was six years old she was sent to a convent where she remained for five years, and her father died shortly after.