Jean Baptiste Greuze Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Jean-Baptiste Greuze was born in Tournus on 21 August 1725 and died in Paris on 21 March 1805. He was a painter who, around 1750, settled in Paris, after having had an anonymous painter from Lyon as his teacher. Read the full biography

Jean-Baptiste Greuze was born in Tournus on 21 August 1725 and died in Paris on 21 March 1805. He was a painter who, around 1750, settled in Paris, after having had an anonymous painter from Lyon as his teacher. Greuze painted numerous portraits, but at a certain point he moved towards more allusive and libertine themes, which earned him much criticism. Over time, he experimented with allegorical, mythological and religious themes. After the French Revolution, Greuze no longer enjoyed great success, so he was forced to give lessons to survive. In 1792 he met Napoleon Bonaparte and drew the first known portrait of the future emperor. In 1803 he was commissioned to paint another portrait of Napoleon in First Consul clothes. Unfortunately, Greuze died in poverty in Paris in 1805.