Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun: Trailblazer. Speaker – Lois Oliver

Elisabeth-Louise Vigée displayed exceptional early talent, and on 31 May 1783 became one of just four women elected to France’s prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de sculpture. Vigée Le Brun was Queen Marie-Antoinette’s favourite portraitist, creating royal portraits that were astonishing in their informality. Following the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, that relationship became a liability. Vigée Le Brun fled France.

Dr Lois Oliver is Professor in History of Art at the University of Notre Dame in London. She has worked for many of the UK’s leading arts institutions and has appeared on BBC Radio and TV.