by Anne Doridou-Heim
Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun (1755-1842), Portrait of a Young Woman in a Red Dress, Presumed to be Caroline de Rivière, pastel, 43.5 x 32 cm (17.1 x 12.6 in). Paris, Drouot, March 23, 2018. Maigret (Thierry de) auction house. Mr Millet. Result: €264,440
We only need to recall the difficulties women artists had in gaining acceptance to the Académie and participating in the Salons of the final years of the aptly named Ancien Régime (Old Regime, the Kingdom of France before 1789) to appreciate how far they have come in a short time. The French Revolution certainly played its part, liberating them and enabling them to exercise their art and tackle other subjects than genre scenes and portraits of children or charming young folk. For some time now, more of their works have been appearing on the market—and not only those of the most prominent, led by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun (1755-1842). Art historians have done a fine job: many names have now emerged from unjust obscurity and are displayed for all to see, with prices to match.
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