Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Birth Name:

Birth Date:

August 29, 1780

Birth Place:

Montauban, Languedoc, France

Death Date:

January 14, 1867

Place of Death:

11 Quai Voltaire, 75007 Paris, France

Age:

Cause of Death:

Pneumonia

Claim to Fame:

Artists

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780–1867) was a French Neoclassical painter, widely regarded for his mastery in portraiture and his precise, smooth technique. Born in Montauban, France, Ingres showed early talent in drawing, leading him to study at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He was a student of Jacques-Louis David, a leading figure in the Neoclassical movement, which emphasized order, clarity, and idealized forms. Ingres' career spanned several decades, during which he developed a style distinct from the Romantic movement that was emerging in France. Though he was often criticized for being too rigid and traditional, he stuck to his classical ideals, focusing on linear precision, a sense of balance, and attention to detail. His most famous works include portraits like Madame Moitessier, Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière (1806) and historical paintings such as The Apotheosis of Homer. In his lifetime, Ingres achieved considerable recognition, including being appointed the director of the French Academy in Rome, where he spent a significant period of his life. His influence extended beyond his own time, impacting later artists, including the development of academic and modernist art. Upon his death at the age of 82, Ingres was interred in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris with a tomb sculpted by his student Jean-Marie Bonnassieux. The contents of his studio, including a number of major paintings, over 4000 drawings, and his violin, were bequeathed by the artist to the city museum of Montauban, now known as the Musée Ingres.

Fun Facts

Near the end of his life, he made one of his best-known masterpieces, The Turkish Bath. It reprised a figure and theme he had been painting since 1828, with his Petite Baigneuse. Originally completed in a square format in 1852 and sold to Prince Napoleon in 1859, it was returned to the artist soon afterward—according to a legend, Princess Clothilde was shocked by the abundant nudity. After reworking the painting as a tondo, Ingres signed and dated it in 1862, although he made additional revisions in 1863. The painting was eventually purchased by a Turkish diplomat, Khalid Bey, who owned a large collection of nudes and erotic art, including several paintings by Courbet. The painting continued to cause a scandal long after Ingres was dead. It was initially offered to the Louvre in 1907, but was rejected, before being given to the Louvre in 1911.

When Ingres became a professor at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he took his students frequently to the Louvre to the see the classical and Renaissance art, instructing them to look straight ahead and to avoid the works of Rubens, which he believed deviated too far from the true values of art.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

, ,

Europe

Map:

Map of Cimetière du Père-Lachaise in Paris, France

Grave Location:

Division 23

Grave Location Description

As you enter the main cemetery entrance, walk straight ahead, jogging to the right when you can, and continue up the hill. As you make your way up Avenue de Saint-Morys, turn right at the intersection with Chemin Adanson. Look to the right and you will see the final resting place of the great French painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres.