Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps

Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps was undoubtedly the most famous French artist of the first half of the 19^th century. His works achieved exorbitant prices at auction and were researched by collectors such as Sir Richard Wallace, the Duke of Aumale and Etienne Moreau-Nélaton. Sent to Greece and Turkey in 1828 by the French government, Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps began to paint oriental themes as soon as he returned, long before Delacroix. Afterwards, he executed animals, genre scenes and history paintings. He was close to the romantic movement and the Barbizon school, but remained an independent artist. Alexandre Gabriel Decamps was admired for the technical execution of his paintings and drawings, mixing different mediums in an innovative and sophisticated way. He would work the same subject several times using different techniques; in the 19^th century, they talked about Les cuisines de M. Decamps.