The directory «Artists»

Ducreux Joseph
(1735—1802)

Joseph Ducreux studied with his father before moving to Paris in 1760 to train under the pastelist, Maurice-Quentin de La Tour. He specialized in portraiture and was also influenced by Jean-Baptiste Greuze’s oil painting technique. In 1769, he received a commission to travel to Vienna and paint a miniature portrait of Louis XVI’s wife, Marie-Antionette. Impressed by his skill, Ducreux was made a baron and the First Painter to the Queen. In the 1770’s, he began painting self-portraits. He avoided the French Revolution by moving to London where he began making engravings of his self-portraits. Ducreux returned to Paris in 1793 and made the acquaintance of Jacques-Louis David.

Comoren Islands, 1989, Louis XVI, Invasion of Les Tuileries