William Bouguereau : his life and works / Damien Bartoli and Frederick C. Ross.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

[V. 1]. His life and works -- [V. 2]. Catalogue raisonné of his painted work.

Volume 1 Introduction / Frederick C. Ross 1825-1838 Family and early years -- 1838-1841 Mortagne and Pons -- 1841-1845 Bordeaux and the Municipal School -- 1846-1847 Picot and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts -- 1848-1850 The Grand Prix de Rome -- 1851 Rome and the Villa Medici -- 1851-1854 Travels in Italy -- 1854-1855 Early commissions -- 1856-1859 : Nelly -- 1860-1863 Durand-Ruel -- 1862-1864 In search of a new style; the end of History Painting -- 1865 The Duret family : a commission from Bordeaux -- 1866-1870 Marriage; Goupil : a new home -- 1870-1871 The Siege of Paris; the Paris Commune -- 1872-1874 The Cathedral of La Rochelle; the Academie Julian -- 1875-1877 Death and consolation -- 1877-1879 Elizabeth Gardner -- 1880-1884 Willie; the Societe des Artistes Francais; a house in La Rochelle -- 1885-1888 President of the Fondation Taylor; president of the Institut -- 1889 The Universal Exhibition; schism in the Societe des Artistes Francais -- 1890-1895 Exhibitions, at home and abroad -- 1896-1900 Deaths in the Family; Second Marriage -- 1901-1905 The final years -- The private man -- The oeuvre -- The painter's craft -- The teacher -- William Bouguereau's Nymphs and Satyr / Kara L. Ross -- Conclusion / Frederick C. Ross.

William Bouguereau (1825-1905) was a highly important and influential French academic painter, who taught a long succession of gifted students, primarily at the private Academie Julien in Paris. Bouguereau wanted to become a serious history painter and his efforts paid off in 1850 when he won the much coveted Prix de Rome (meaning that the French government paid him to stay in Rome and study art). After his studies in Italy, he established his reputation in Paris as a premier history painter, portraitist, and decorator of churches during the 1850s and 1860s. He was elected to the Academie des Beaux-Arts in 1876 and remained an important and influential member for 30 years. His large output of Salon paintings was consistently praised by critics, often purchased by the French state, and frequently reproduced in the press. He won numerous awards throughout his career and can be seen as the epitome of the French Academy.