Why’d They Put That In A Museum?
Show Notes
Artist: Elisabeth Louise Vigée LeBrun (French, 1755 – 1842)
Item: Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, c. 1788
Details: Oil on canvas, 109 ½ x 75 ½ in. New Orleans Museum of Art
https://noma.org/collection/portrait-of-marie-antoinette-queen-of-france/
Marie Antoinette, Queen of France
Elisabeth Louise Vigée LeBrun
Visitors to the New Orleans Museum of Art are struck by a monumental 9-foot portrait of Marie Antoinette, the famous French queen. In this painting, she wears a feathered hat and a rich blue velvet gown, and is surrounded by elegant symbols of royalty.
Soon after it was finished, the queen said of her subjects, “Let them eat cake” and was summarily beheaded. This painting, however, survived, and this podcast documents its fascinating 250-year journey. Its creator was a talented female artist, Elisabeth Louise Vigée LeBrun.
Despite the challenges faced by women artists in 18th-century France, Vigée LeBrun became Marie Antoinette’s official portraitist and personal friend—and was even admitted to the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture.
A year after completing the painting, Vigée LeBrun fled into exile to Italy and Russia. The painting’s original owner, Marie Antoinette’s brother-in-law, fled too, though he later came back and became France’s King Charles X. The episode examines a remarkable painting, made by a remarkable artist, during a pivotal moment in history.
Contact Us
Say helloAbout the Podcasters
Sarah Lees
Sarah is a museum curator and researcher who has worked in organizations both large and small, and who remembers her first assignment for an art history class – to look into Rembrandt’s eyes and describe what she saw there. She believes everyone can find those kinds of connections to some form of creative expression, whether it’s a painting, a grandmother’s quilt, or a perfectly formed pen-stroke in a manuscript.
Beth Bacon
In addition to being an avid museum-goer, Beth Bacon is an author for young readers. Her books empower today’s kids to learn about themselves and the world through reading. She is also a teacher and branding consultant and a volunteer at the Missouri History Museum. Beth holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, an MA in Communication Arts from NYU, and a BA in Literature from Harvard University.
Music Credit
The music you hear in the intro and outro was composed by Edward Whelan. We appreciate his contribution to our podcast.
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