The Académie de Saint-Luc (; ) was a
guild
A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...
of painters and sculptors set up in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
in 1391, and dissolved in 1776. It was created by the
Provost of Paris, along the lines of the
Guilds of Saint Luke in other parts of Europe.
In 1648, a group of artists with royal
patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...
, led by
Charles Le Brun
Charles Le Brun (; baptised 24 February 1619 – 12 February 1690) was a French Painting, painter, Physiognomy, physiognomist, Aesthetics, art theorist, and a director of several art schools of his time. He served as a court painter to Louis XIV, ...
, successfully persuaded the court of King
Louis XIV
LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
to support the creation of the ''
Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture
The Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture (; ) was founded in 1648 in Paris, France. It was the premier art institution of France during the latter part of the Ancien Régime until it was abolished in 1793 during the French Revolution. I ...
'', an art institution with different membership criteria that became a rival to the ''Académie de Saint-Luc''.
The ''Académie de Saint-Luc'' remained successful in subsequent years by attracting the artists who did not have access to the ''Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture''. This was particularly the case for women artists. In the 18th century, there were 130 female members of the ''Académie de Saint-Luc'', many more than at the ''Académie Royale'', which in 1783 limited its female members to four.
In the 1770s, the success of the ''Académie de Saint-Luc'' provoked the enmity of the ''Academie Royale'', which complained to the King and petitioned for the closure of their rival. The ''Académie de Saint-Luc'' was closed in February 1776, either on the order of
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...
in response to the petition, or as part of the broader
suppression of the guilds by the edict of Minister
Anne Robert Jacques Turgot.
Some of its members later became accepted by the ''Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture''.
Members
*
Jean Bassange
*
Henri Bonnart (Academy Rector)
*
Laurent Cars
*
Jean Siméon Chardin
*
Joseph Ducreux
*
Charles Eisen
*
Nicolas Fouché
*
Francois Guérin
*
Alexander Kucharsky
*
Jean-Baptiste Lallemand
*
Alexandre Joseph Paillet
*
François Perrier
*
Jean-Michel Picart
*
Nicolas-Jean-Baptiste Raguenet
*
Gabriel de Saint-Aubin
*
Pierre Scheemackers (Professor, from January 1764)
*
Sébastien Slodtz
*
Claude Joseph Vernet
*
Guillaume Voiriot
*
Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun
*
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (; 11 April 1749 – 24 April 1803), also known as Adélaïde Labille-Guiard des Vertus, was a French Portrait miniature, miniaturist and portrait painter. She was an advocate for women to receive the same opportunities ...
References
External links
''Livrets des expositions de l'Académie de Saint-Luc à Paris: pendant les années 1751, 1752, 1753, 1756, 1762, 1764 et 1774''(in French)
"État de L'Académie de Saint-Luc au Moment de sa Suppression, en 1776"(in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Academie De Saint-Luc
Arts and culture in the Ancien Régime
French artist groups and collectives
1391 establishments in Europe
1390s establishments in France
1777 disestablishments
Defunct organizations based in France