1777 - 1852
While his early training with Jacques-Louis David was in the neoclassical tradition, Richard is best known for his historical paintings of medieval and Renaissance subjects. A frequent exhibitor at the Paris Salon from 1801 to 1836, he was also named official painter by Empress Josephine, awarded the Legion of Honor in 1815, and made a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts de Lyon (1818–1823). Seeking inspiration, he traveled to Geneva, Milan, Turin, and southeastern France. After 1851, he devoted himself to writing books on the lives and work of painters.
Place of Birth: Lyon
Place of Death: Écully Rhone
Text written and researched by Michelle Bird National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.