Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart (; 15 February 1739 – 6 June 1813) was a prominent French architect.

Biography

Born in

Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

. A prominent member of Parisian society, in 1767 he married Anne-Louise d'Egremont. The couple became friends of the royal portrait painter,

Marie Louise Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in Tro ...

who painted the portrait of their daughter, Alexandrine-Emilie Brongniart that now hangs in the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, Mademoiselle Brongniart 1788. During the Reign of Terror, Vigée-Lebrun hid in Brongniart's home before fleeing the country. Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart was also a close friend of Jean Antoine Houdon, the pre-eminent French sculptor of the day who sculpted busts of his daughter Alexandrine-Emilie and his son Alexandre Jr. that are now in the

Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

in Paris. Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart designed hotels, including the Hôtel de Bourbon-Condé and the Hotel de Monaco, and a number of exclusive private residences. In 1781 he was received as a member of the

Académie Royale d'Architecture The Académie Royale d'Architecture (; en, "Royal Academy of Architecture") was a French learned society founded in 1671. It had a leading role in influencing architectural theory and education, not only in France, but throughout Europe and t ...

, and in 1782 he was named architect and controller-general of the Ecole Militaire (Military School). In 1804, he was commissioned by

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

to create the layout for the famous

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figure ...

. The Emperor was so pleased with his work that in 1807 he chose Brongniart to design the

Paris Bourse Euronext Paris is France's securities market, formerly known as the Paris Bourse, which merged with the Amsterdam, Lisbon, and Brussels exchanges in September 2000 to form Euronext NV. As of 2022, the 795 companies listed had a combined market ...

(the Parisian stock exchange). Brongniart did all of the designs but it would be his last work and he would not live to see the classical Greek styled building completed in 1825. The building was named "Palais Brongniart" in his honor and remains in use to this day. Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart died in Paris in 1813 and was interred there in the cemetery he had designed.

Family

Brongniart's son Alexandre went on to become a respected geologist and director of the famous Sèvres porcelain factory. In turn, his son Adolphe Theodore Brongniart became a famous botanist known as the father of paleobotany and a recipient of the

Wollaston Medal The Wollaston Medal is a scientific award for geology, the highest award granted by the Geological Society of London. The medal is named after William Hyde Wollaston, and was first awarded in 1831. It was originally made of gold (1831–1845), ...

in science text.could you please provide reference, thanks

References

Bibliography

* Anonymous (1996). "Brongniart, Alexandre-Théodore", vol. 4, pp. 847–848, in ''

The Dictionary of Art ''Grove Art Online'' is the online edition of ''The Dictionary of Art'', often referred to as the ''Grove Dictionary of Art'', and part of Oxford Art Online, an internet gateway to online art reference publications of Oxford University Press, ...

'', 34 volumes, edited by Jane Turner. New York: Grove. . Also a
Oxford Art Online
(subscription required). * Le Bas, Philippe, editor (1840). ''France. Dictionnaire encyclopédique'', volume 1 (A–Az). Paris: Didot Frères. See the articl
"Académie d'architecture", pp. 82–85
(at Google Books).

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brongniart, Alexandre-Theodore 1739 births Architects from Paris 1813 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery French neoclassical architects 18th-century French architects 19th-century French architects Members of the Académie royale d'architecture Lycée Condorcet alumni