Louis-Benoît Picard (1769- 1828) par Jamont d’après Crigner 2

Louis-Benoît Picard (29 July 1769 in

Paris 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. S ...

– 31 December 1828 in Paris) was a French playwright, actor, novelist, poet and music director.Jean Gourret, '' Ces hommes qui ont fait l'Opéra'', 1984, p. 106-107.

Biography

Son of a lawyer, and nephew of a doctor, Picard refused to follow the careers of law and medicine, and dedicated himself to the theater encouraged by his friend

François Andrieux François Guillaume Jean Stanislaus Andrieux (6 May 17599 May 1833) was a French man of letters and playwright. Life Born and educated at Strasbourg, Andrieux proceeded to Paris to study law. There he became a close friend of Collin d'Harlevil ...

. He first became an actor before producing his first play, ''Le Badinage dangereux'', in 1789. Picard worked with the Comédiens-Italiens. In 1807 Picard was received by

Bernardin de Saint-Pierre Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (also called Bernardin de St. Pierre) (19 January 1737, in Le Havre – 21 January 1814, in Éragny, Val-d'Oise) was a French writer and botanist. He is best known for his 1788 novel '' Paul et Virginie'', ...

when he was elected to the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

. Before he became the head of the Odéon-Théâtre in 1816, he directed the

Académie Impériale de Musique The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

. He was at Odéon-Théâtre until 1821. In the painting ''Louis-Benoît Picard and his family'',

Pauline Auzou Pauline Auzou (24 March 1775 – 15 May 1835) was a French painter and art instructor, who exhibited at the Paris Salon and was commissioned to make paintings of Napoleon and his wife Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma. Personal life Jeanne-Mar ...

depicts Picard with his wife Victoria Longchamps (far right), his brother and sisters Latour and Adele Picard and Mrs. Guersant. With Mrs. Guersant is her husband physician Louis Benoit Guersant, their son, Paul Benedict Guersant Louis, who became a doctor, and baby daughter who became Ms. Blache. LaTour's wife wore a red shawl over a black dress. The Picard's father, who had been a lawyer and parliamentarian, is represented in a portrait made by Auzou, which won a medal of honor at the 1806 Paris Salon. His writing desk holds his manuscripts and a book he is reading.

Works

* ''Les Visitandines'' (put on at the

Théâtre Feydeau The Théâtre Feydeau (), a former Parisian theatre company, was founded in 1789 with the patronage of Monsieur, Comte de Provence (later to become Louis XVIII), and was therefore initially named the Théâtre de Monsieur. It began performing in t ...

on 7 August 1792, with music by

François Devienne François Devienne (; 31 January 1759 – 5 September 1803) was a French composer and professor for flute at the Paris Conservatory. Career Devienne was born in Joinville, as the youngest of fourteen children of a saddlemaker. After receiving h ...

)''Les Visitandines''
Gallica.bnf.fr. * ''La vraie bravoure'' (1793) * ''Médiocre et rampant'' (1797) * ''Le Collatéral'' (1799) * ''Les Provinciaux à Paris'' (1801) * ''Le Contrat d'union'' (1801) * ''La Petite Ville'' (1801) * ''Les voisins'' (1802) * ''Les conjectures'' (1802) * ''Le vieux comédien'' (1803) * ''La Noce sans Mariage'' (1805) * ''Le Susceptible'' (1805) * ''Les oisifs'' (1809) * ''Un lendemain de fortune, ou Les embarras du bonheur'' (1811) * ''Un jeu de la fortune, ou Les marionnettes'' (1821)

References

External links

His works and productions
o
CÉSAR

His works available on Gallica
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Picard, Louis Benoit Writers from Paris 1769 births 1828 deaths 18th-century French dramatists and playwrights 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights French opera librettists Members of the Académie Française Directors of the Paris Opera Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery