Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755–1842), French, A master of portraiture whose work radiated warmth and intimacy, she became one of the most sought-after painters of 18th-century Europe. Born in Paris, her talent emerged early—she was painting professionally by her teens, a rarity for women in an era dominated by male artists. Her style blended Rococo elegance with a neoclassical clarity, capturing not just likeness but the vivacity of her subjects. Marie Antoinette, her most famous patron, sat for over 30 portraits, their collaboration defying stiff court conventions; the queen appeared in simple muslin dresses, a controversial departure from rigid formality.
Exiled during the French Revolution, she traveled across Europe, painting aristocrats and intellectuals from St. Petersburg to Vienna. Her ability to convey texture—the sheen of silk, the softness of skin—was unmatched, yet it was her psychological insight that set her apart. Unlike contemporaries who idealized their sitters, she revealed fleeting emotions: a child’s mischief, a noblewoman’s quiet resolve. Later works, influenced by her travels, adopted darker tones and bolder compositions, though she never abandoned her signature luminosity. By her death, she had painted over 600 portraits, leaving a legacy that redefined femininity and power in art.