Jean-Bernard Restout, 1732-1796, Peintre Du Roi Et Révolutionnaire

Son of the great 18th century religious painter Jean II Restout, and related to Noël Hallé and Jean Jouvenet, Jean-Bernard Restout received a solid artistic and literary education. As a resident at the Académie de France in Rome, he immediately expressed an innovative, sober and vigorous talent. He was admitted to the Royal Academy as a history painter in 1765 and enjoyed his first successes. He protested against the jury's refusal to exhibit one of his works at the Salon of 1769; his resentment towards the Academy and the institutions only grew. He painted little and was slow to honour his commissions, but his mature works confirmed the exceptional qualities of the artist, who was also a subtle and intelligent portraitist. The Revolution, to which he enthusiastically adhered, allowed him, alongside David, to take his revenge against the Academy. He rubbed shoulders with Robespierre and Fabre d'Églantine and thus marked his downfall: appointed Inspector General of the Garde-Meuble, he was unjustly implicated in the theft of the Crown jewels and imprisoned before being released after the 9th Thermidor.

This book presents the life and work of this little-known painter. The rediscovery of his work - largely unpublished - makes us regret his choice of politics over painting.