Famous 18th Century French Artists & Painters

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Find out more about the greatest 18th Century French Painters, including Jacques-Louis David, Eugène Delacroix, Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, John James Audubon and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres.
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 1 
Jacques-Louis David
6
Birthdate: August 30, 1748
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: December 29, 1825

Jacques-Louis David was a French painter. Widely regarded as the greatest painter of the Neoclassical era, David's works had a strong influence in France in the early-19th century. His works are often linked to the birth of Romanticism. Many of his pupils, such as Antoine-Jean Gros and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, went on to become successful and popular painters.

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres
4
Birthdate: August 29, 1780
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Montauban, France
Died: January 14, 1867
 3 
Marie Tussaud
(French Wax Sculpture Artist and Founder of 'Madame Tussauds', the Wax Museum in London)
Marie Tussaud
4
Birthdate: December 1, 1761
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Strasbourg, France
Died: April 16, 1850

Marie Tussaud was a French artist and sculptor best remembered for her wax sculptures. She founded Madame Tussauds, a wax museum, in London in 1835. The museum is a major tourist attraction today. As a young girl, she learned wax modeling from doctor cum wax modeler Philippe Curtius. In the ensuing years, she became a prominent sculptor.

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 4 
Jean-Antoine Watteau
(Former Painter whose notable works include Embarkation for Cythera, L'Enseigne de Gersaint)
Jean-Antoine Watteau
3
Birthdate: October 10, 1684
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Valenciennes, France
Died: July 18, 1721
 5 
Joseph Ducreux
(Former Painter who was a successful portraitist at the court of Louis XVI of France)
Joseph Ducreux
4
Birthdate: June 26, 1735
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Nancy, France
Died: July 24, 1802
 6 
Jean-Honore Fragonard
5
Birthdate: April 5, 1732
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Grasse, France
Died: August 22, 1806
Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun
3
Birthdate: April 16, 1755
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: March 30, 1842
 8 
François Boucher
4
Birthdate: September 29, 1703
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: May 30, 1770
Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin
4
Birthdate: November 2, 1699
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: December 6, 1779
 10 
Hyacinthe Rigaud
(Former Catalan-French baroque painter most famous for his portraits of Louis XIV and other members of the French nobility)
Hyacinthe Rigaud
4
Birthdate: July 18, 1659
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Perpignan, France
Died: December 29, 1743
 11 
Jean-Baptiste Greuze
3
Birthdate: August 21, 1725
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Tournus, France
Died: March 4, 1805
 12 
Antoine-Jean Gros
4
Birthdate: March 16, 1771
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: June 25, 1835
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard
2
Birthdate: April 11, 1749
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: April 24, 1803
 14 
Hubert Robert
(Painter)
Hubert Robert
4
Birthdate: May 22, 1733
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: April 15, 1808
Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson
3
Birthdate: January 29, 1767
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Montargis, France
Died: December 9, 1824
Maurice Quentin de La Tour
2
Birthdate: September 5, 1704
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Saint-Quentin, France
Died: February 17, 1788
 17 
Jean-Antoine Houdon
(Neoclassical sculptor)
Jean-Antoine Houdon
2
Birthdate: March 25, 1741
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Versailles, France
Died: July 15, 1828

Jean-Antoine Houdon was a French sculptor best remembered for his statues and portrait busts of philosophers, political figures, and inventors. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, his sculptures were used as a reference for imprinting portraits of prominent personalities on various U.S. postage stamps.

 18 
Charlotte de Rothschild
2
Birthdate: May 6, 1825
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: July 20, 1899
Philip James de Loutherbourg
2
Birthdate: October 31, 1740
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Strasbourg
Died: March 11, 1812
 20 
Louis-Léopold Boilly
2
Birthdate: July 5, 1761
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: La Bassée, France
Died: January 4, 1845
 21 
Nicolas-Jacques Conté
2
Birthdate: August 4, 1755
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Aunou-sur-Orne, France
Died: December 6, 1805
 22 
Jean-Marc Nattier
2
Birthdate: March 17, 1685
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: November 7, 1766
 23 
Pierre-Paul Prud'hon
2
Birthdate: April 4, 1758
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Abbaye de Cluny, Cluny, France
Died: February 16, 1823
Merry-Joseph Blondel
2
 25 
François-Thomas Germain
(French Silversmith)
François-Thomas Germain
2
Birthdate: April 17, 1726
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: January 23, 1791

François-Thomas Germain was a French silversmith who worked for the European royalty, earning the title royal silversmith. His association with financiers in 1765 was considered a breach of guild regulations, resulting in his resignation and bankruptcy. Today, many of his works are showcased in museums across Europe. François-Thomas Germain was portrayed as the main antagonist in Assassin's Creed Unity (2014).

 26 
Anne Vallayer-Coster
2
Birthdate: December 21, 1744
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Paris, Kingdom of France
Died: February 28, 1818
 27 
Jean-Baptiste Oudry
2
Birthdate: March 17, 1686
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Beauvais, France
Died: April 30, 1755
Pierre-Narcisse Guérin
2
Birthdate: March 13, 1774
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: July 6, 1833
 29 
Charles-André Van Loo
2
Birthdate: February 15, 1705
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Nice, France
Died: July 15, 1765
Jean-Baptiste Debret
2
 31 
Joseph Duplessis
2
Birthdate: September 22, 1725
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Carpentras, France
Died: April 1, 1802
Marie-Guillemine Benoist
2
 33 
Vivant Denon
(Artist)
Vivant Denon
2
Birthdate: January 4, 1747
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Chalon-sur-Saône, France
Died: April 27, 1825
Guillaume Guillon-Lethière
2
Birthdate: January 10, 1760
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe, France
Died: April 22, 1832
 35 
Étienne Maurice Falconet
(French Sculptor Best Known for His Equestrian Statue of Peter the Great, the Bronze Horseman)
Étienne Maurice Falconet
2
Birthdate: December 1, 1716
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: January 24, 1791

Étienne Maurice Falconet is perhaps best remembered for his creation the Bronze Horseman, which depicted Czar Peter I of Russia on a horse. He developed the French Baroque style into Rococo art. Many of his works were made for the Sèvres Porcelain Factory. He also penned Reflections on Sculpture.

Nicolas de Largillière
2
Birthdate: October 10, 1656
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: March 20, 1746
 37 
Carle Vernet
(Painter)
Carle Vernet
1
Birthdate: August 14, 1758
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Bordeaux, France
Died: November 17, 1836
 38 
Jean François de Troy
1
Birthdate: January 27, 1679
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: January 26, 1752
 39 
David d'Angers
(Sculptor)
David d'Angers
2
Birthdate: March 12, 1788
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Angers, France
Died: January 4, 1856
 40 
Nicolas Lancret
1
Birthdate: January 22, 1690
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: September 14, 1743
 41 
François Girardon
1
Birthdate: March 10, 1628
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Troyes, France
Died: September 1, 1715
 42 
Claude Michel
(Sculptor)
Claude Michel
1
Birthdate: December 20, 1738
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Nancy, France
Died: March 29, 1814
 43 
Edmé Bouchardon
1
Birthdate: May 29, 1698
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Chaumont, France
Died: July 27, 1762
 44 
Jean-Baptiste Isabey
1
Birthdate: April 11, 1767
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Nancy, France
Died: April 18, 1855
 45 
Jean-Baptiste Pigalle
1
Birthdate: January 26, 1714
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Rueil-Malmaison, France
Died: August 20, 1785
 46 
Claude Joseph Vernet
2
Birthdate: August 14, 1714
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Avignon, France
Died: December 3, 1789
 47 
Nicolas Coustou
(Sculptor)
Nicolas Coustou
2
Birthdate: January 9, 1658
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Lyon, France
Died: May 1, 1733
 48 
Antoine Pesne
(Painter)
Antoine Pesne
1
Birthdate: May 29, 1683
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: August 5, 1757
 49 
Charles-Nicolas Cochin
1
Birthdate: February 22, 1715
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: April 29, 1790
Louis-François Roubiliac
1
Birthdate: August 31, 1702
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Lyon, France
Died: January 11, 1762