Jan Antuan Gudon Sculptor Date of Birth: 20.03.1741 Country: France

Biography of Jean Antoine Houdon

Jean Antoine Houdon, a French sculptor, was born on March 20, 1741, in Versailles. He received his education from M. Slodtz, J. Pigalle, and J. Lemoyne. From 1764 to 1768, he was a scholarship holder of the French Academy in Rome, and his first success came after creating the statue of St. Bruno for the Roman church of Santa Maria degli Angeli.

Upon his return to Paris, Houdon initially continued to work in academic traditions. In 1777, he presented the statue of Morpheus for a competition to become a member of the Academy. Houdon quickly developed his own individual style, which found expression in a series of brilliant portraits of prominent figures from France, Russia, and America of that time.

In 1785, the sculptor embarked on a journey to America to complete a commissioned statue of George Washington, which was only finished in 1792 and now resides in Richmond, Virginia. Houdon became a member of the Institute of France in 1796 and a Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1804. During the Imperial years, he continued to work but focused solely on teaching from 1805 onwards.

Houdon passed away in Paris on July 16, 1828. The highest achievements of French sculpture in the 18th century are undoubtedly associated with the genre of portraiture, of which Houdon was one of the finest masters. His ability to accurately capture psychological characteristics and his remarkable talent for selecting and generalizing allowed him to create such diverse images as the elderly Voltaire and the sculptor's daughter, little Sabine Houdon, Louis XVI, and J.P. Jones.