Adelaide Labille-Guyard Paintings

Adelaide Labille-Guiard, also known as Adélaïde Labille-Guiard des Vertus, was a prominent French portrait painter born on April 11, 1749, in Paris. She is recognized for her role in advancing women's participation in the arts during the French Enlightenment and is often remembered alongside her contemporary, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. Labille-Guiard was the daughter of a Parisian haberdasher, and she showed an early talent for art. She initially studied miniature painting with François-Elie Vincent and later with his son, François-André Vincent, who was a history painter and became an influential figure in her life.

Labille-Guiard's first marriage in 1769 to a clerk named Louis-Nicolas Guiard ended in separation, and she began to pursue her career in earnest. In 1783, she was admitted to the prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, a significant achievement as the number of women allowed entry was severely limited. Her acceptance into the Académie was partly due to her petitioning for women artists' rights and her impressive portrait of the painter François-André Vincent.

As an academicienne, she was entitled to exhibit her work at the Salon, the official art exhibition of the Académie. Labille-Guiard took advantage of this opportunity by displaying her paintings, which included portraits of prominent individuals and members of the French aristocracy. Her work is characterized by its refined elegance, attention to detail, and the psychological insight she brought to her portraits.

During the French Revolution, Labille-Guiard navigated the tumultuous political landscape with some difficulty, as her associations with the nobility were viewed with suspicion. However, she managed to continue her work and even trained a number of female students, thus advocating for women's education in fine arts.

Adelaide Labille-Guiard's career was marked by her advocacy for women artists, her skillful portraiture, and her resilience during a period of great social upheaval. She passed away on April 24, 1803, in Paris. Today, she is celebrated for her contributions to art and for breaking barriers for women in the traditionally male-dominated art world. Her paintings can be found in various museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Louvre in Paris.