Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904)

From history paintings to his orientalist painters, J-L Gérôme has left his mark on the history of art. Close to academism, which he defended against the rise of Impressionism and Realism, Gérôme shone in the salons and universal exhibitions organised at the time. The artist also enjoyed great popular success in his time with the wide dissemination of his compositions through engraving and photography. It was at the end of his career that Gérôme devoted himself more fully to sculpture. Trying new approaches, he was one of the first artists to abandon antique white for polychrome sculptures.