Alexandre Cabanel

Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1890), was a French painter. In his life, he did classical, religious and historical paintings, yet he was better well known for his portrait paintings.

In 1840, with the help of a scholarship from his hometown, Cabanel moved to Paris and entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts at the age of 17 and studied with François-Édouard Picot. In 1844, at the age of 21, his first exhibition was held at the Paris Salon, and in 1845, at the age of 22, Cabanel won the Prix de Rome scholarship.

In 1863, he was elected a member of the Institute, and in 1864, he was appointed professor at the École des Beaux-Arts and stayed there until his death in 1889. He won the Grande Médaille d’Honneur at the Salons in 1865, 1867, and 1878.