Charles Le Brun (Paris, France 1619 - Paris, France 1690)

Born to a family of artists in Paris in 1619, his first teacher was his father Nicolas, a sculptor. From 1642 to 1646, he studied Raffaello and historical monuments in Rome together with Poussin.

Upon his return to Paris, Le Brun established himself on the art scene as the director of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture as well as gaining recognition as a decorator for creating numerous altarpieces on commission, so much so that he was appointed by King Louis XIV Premier Peintre du Roi (the king’s first painter), a position with enormous power and influence.

He received several appointments in the following years: Director of the Gobelins tapestry factory, Prince of the Academy of San Luca, painter and draftsman in various royal palaces including the Louvre, Fontainebleau, Saint-Germain and, above all, Versailles, where he worked from 1674 to 1686.

Le Brun is considered one of the greatest exponents of the representative tradition of physiognomy and founder of academic classicism.

Photo UniCredit Group (Sebastiano Pellion di Persano)