William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Despite being one of the most successful artists of the 19th century, William-Adolphe Bouguereau was revered and reviled in equal measure during his own lifetime. Among ‘academic’ painters he was considered to be without equal, but in the eyes of the avant-garde he was the enemy. Having won the Prix de Rome in 1850, Bouguereau spent the next few years studying in Italy. On his return to France, he became one of the leading exponents of Neoclassicism. His fastidiously rendered images of mythological subject matter focused largely on the female nude. His growing stature allowed him to dominate the selection committee of the Paris Salon, ensuring that ‘progressive’ work was excluded from exhibition. Written off as a purveyor of slick commerciality, his towering reputation collapsed soon after his death. For years considered the epitome of reactionary traditionalism, in recent decades his pictures have undergone a revival in critical opinion and once again command huge sums at auction.