Camille Corot

Birth Name:

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot

Birth Date:

July 16, 1796

Birth Place:

125 Rue du Bac, Paris, France

Death Date:

22 February 22, 1875

Place of Death:

56 rue du Faubourg-Poissionnière, 10th arr., Paris, France

Age:

Cause of Death:

Stomach disease

Cemetery Name:

Cimetière du Père Lachaise

Claim to Fame:

Artists

Camille Corot (1796–1875) was a French artist known for his landscape paintings and his role in the development of the Barbizon School. Born in Paris, he initially studied at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, but he also developed a deep passion for nature, which greatly influenced his work. Corot’s early career involved portrait painting, but he gained fame for his landscapes, especially those inspired by his travels in Italy. Corot became renowned for his poetic approach to nature, with a focus on light and atmosphere. His innovative use of color and brushwork had a significant impact on later artists, particularly the Impressionists. Corot was known for working both outdoors, directly from nature, and in the studio, creating a balance between realism and a more emotional, idealized vision of the landscape. Some of most important works include Ville d'Avray (1865), Venise, La Piazetta and The Bridge at Narni. Throughout his life, Corot received recognition and success, but he remained modest and humble about his work. He exhibited widely, particularly at the Salon, and was highly respected by his contemporaries including Jean-François Millet, Théodore Rousseau, Charles-François Daubigny and Honoré Daumier. His legacy endures as one of the key figures in the transition from classical to modern art, influencing both landscape painting and the evolution of plein-air techniques.

Fun Facts

Corot was an early advocate of painting en plein air, working with his easel on location in order to capture his first emotional response to a particular scene or setting. This was a technique later made famous by Impressionist painters such as Monet, as well as by Corot’s pupils Camille Pissarro and Berthe Morisot.

On May 15, 2012 the oil painting Le Vallon des Chevres (Souvenir du Lac de Garde), circa 1872 by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (French, 1796-1875) sold at auction of $110,500,000.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Cimetière du Père Lachaise

16 Rue du Repos, 6ème division, Chemin Lesseps

Paris, , 75020

France

Europe

Map:

Map of Cimetière du Père-Lachaise in Paris, France

Grave Location:

Division 24

Grave Location Description

The great artist Camille Corot is buried in the center of Paris’s largest cemetery in Division 24 on the road. Look for the intersection Chemin Adanson and Chemin Laplace and then walk down Chemin Laplace about 50 feet and the large bust and sepulcher of Corot will be on your right.