Famous 18th Century French Artists & Painters

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.