Francois-Edouard Picot

Bio

A student of Vincent and of David, Picot is, above all, known for his historical and mythological subjects. He won second prize in the Prix de Rome compition of 1812 and exhibited at the Salon in the years 1819, where he won a first class medal, to 1839. Picot was made a chevalier in the Légion d’honneur in 1825, and an officier in 1852. Picot executed a number of commissions in churches around Paris. These public works, different in tone from the artist’s history and mythological painting, included: Picot instructed a number of the younger generation’s great artists, including William Bouguereau, Gustave Moreau, Cabanel and Paul Seignac. Picot’s studio was elite, known for accepting very few students and resulted in the maturing of many great painters.