Jean-Léon Gérôme

Academic and Orientalist painter Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904) was arguably the world's most famous living artist by 1880. Born in Vesoul to a goldsmith, he studied under Paul Delaroche in Paris and traveled to Italy before gaining fame with The Cock Fight (1846). This painting launched the Neo-Grec movement and his career. His range included historical paintings, Greek mythology, portraits, and especially Orientalist subjects inspired by his travels to the Middle East between 1854 and 1872.

Gérôme's Orientalist works are considered among the finest in the genre. His trips to Egypt and Constantinople inspired dramatic scenes of Eastern life, architecture, and customs. He taught at the École des Beaux-Arts from 1864 until his death, training influential artists including Thomas Eakins and Mary Cassatt. He was exceedingly hostile to Impressionism, urging the government to refuse a bequest of their works as late as 1893. In his final 25 years, he also produced significant sculpture, including a bronze gladiator shown at the 1878 Exposition. Works hang at the Musée d'Orsay, Metropolitan Museum, and Louvre.