Diana Leaving Her Bath

Guillaume Dubufe, born into a distinguished family of artists in Paris on May 16, 1853, was a French painter and illustrator whose work left a lasting impression on the art world. The son of painter Édouard Louis Dubufe and sculptor Juliette Dubufe, née Zimmerman, and the nephew of composer Charles Gounod, Dubufe was immersed in the arts from an early age. His initial training under his father was followed by studies with Alexis-Joseph Mazerolle and Alexandre Cabanel at the prestigious École des beaux-arts in Paris. In 1875, he married Cécile Woog, with whom he had five children, including Juliette Dubufe-Wehrlé, who would also pursue a career in painting. Dubufe's artistic career was marked by significant commissions, including the decoration of the Comédie-Française's foyer ceiling in 1885 and the grand salon of the restaurant Le Train bleu at Paris's Gare de Lyon in 1900. His talent for large-scale decorative works was further demonstrated in his contributions to the Paris Hôtel de Ville, the Élysée Palace, and the Sorbonne. Beyond his public works, Dubufe found inspiration in his villa in Anacapri, Italy, where he painted scenes of his home and embarked on a series dedicated to the Virgin Mary. His legacy as a member of the Société nationale des beaux-arts and his contributions to French art were cut short by his untimely death at sea near Buenos Aires on May 25, 1909.