LeRoy Neiman

popular name: Auguste Rodin

date_of_death: November 17, 1917

age: 77

cause_of_death: Pulmonary edema

claim_to_fame: Artists

best_know_for: Auguste Rodin, a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture, lived a life marked by perseverance, innovation, and profound artistic evolution. Born into a modest family in Paris, Rodin struggled academically and faced repeated rejection from the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts. These early setbacks shaped his self-reliant approach, encouraging him to pursue training through practical work rather than formal schooling. He spent many years as a craftsman and ornamental sculptor, quietly honing the technical mastery that would later underpin his revolutionary style. Later in life, his studio became a hub of creative exploration, supported by numerous assistants, collaborators, and pupils. Among them was Camille Claudel, a brilliant sculptor whose artistic and personal relationship with Rodin had a lasting impact on both their careers. He is known for such sculptures as The Thinker, Monument to Balzac, The Kiss, The Burghers of Calais, and The Gates of Hell.

popular name: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

date_of_death: January 14, 1867

age: 86

cause_of_death: Pneumonia

claim_to_fame: Artists

best_know_for: 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. Upon his death, he was interred at Cimetière du Père-Lachaise in Paris, France.

popular name: Nusch Éluard

date_of_death: November 28, 1946

age: 40

cause_of_death: Stroke

claim_to_fame: Artists

best_know_for: Nicknamed “Nusch” by artist Max Bill, she was a French performer, model and surrealist artist. In 1930 she met the poet Paul Éluard working as a model. They married him in 1934. She produced surrealist photomontage and other works, and is the subject of “Facile,” a collection of Éluard’s poetry published as a photogravure book, illustrated with Man Ray’s nude photographs of her. Later she was the subject of several cubist portraits and sketches by Pablo Picasso in the late 1930s with whom she had an affair. Nusch worked for the French Resistance during the Nazi occupation of France during World War II and died suddenly in 1946 in Paris, collapsing in the street due to a massive stroke.