Lot 11: Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau (American, 1851-1922)

La becqu‚e signed 'Elizabeth Gardner' (lower left) oil on canvas 65 x 47 in. (165.2 x 119.4 cm.) NOTES Elizabeth Jane Gardner was among the first wave of Americans who sought art training in Paris after the Civil War. Gardner's paintings were accepted into numerous year's Paris Salons and at the Exposition Universelle, where she won a bronze medal in 1889. According to her obituary in the New York Times, she "literally opened Paris ateliers to the women of the world." She also became the first American woman to exhibit, and later to win a medal at the Paris Salon. Born in Exeter, New Hampshire, Gardner graduated in 1856 from Lasell Seminary in Auburndale, Massachusetts. There she received a proper young lady's training: drawing from outline cards and dabbling in watercolors. At Lasell she became friends with her teacher, Imogene Robinson, a bold spirit who went off to study in Dsseldorf and had a strong influence on her pupil. While copying old masters in Boston and trying to supplement her "polite" art education, Gardner became convinced that her drawing was inadequate and that she, too, needed thorough European training. Therefore, in 1864, she sailed for Paris. While Paris beckoned all artists, women were barred from studying at the prestigious cole des Beaux-Arts. Undaunted by such discrimination, Gardner enrolled in private classes. She soon became an accomplished painter, the first American woman to exhibit in the Paris Salon in 1866, and the first to win a gold medal for her painting, Impudence in 1877. Her studio on the Rue Notre Dame des Champs became a Mecca for visiting Americans traveling abroad. Gardner commented that such recognition gave her "a position among foreign artists and raise[d] the value of what [she] paint[ed]", demonstrating her determination not only to be a painter but also to be a competitive artist whose work would fetch strong prices. The beginning of Elizabeth Gardner's relationship with William Bouguereau coincided with his election to the teaching staff of the Acad‚mie Julian ( circa 1877). Their courtship spanned two decades and during this time Elizabeth and William developed an emotional, as well as a creative union, which directly impacted Elizabeth's artistic development. The two finally married in 1896. The influence of William and the Acad‚mie upon Elizabeth's painting were so great that a progression in her style, as well as technique is clearly visible. Elizabeth's earlier works lack vividness, composition and implementation. However, her later work, such as the present painting, was heavily influenced by William, and is far more complicated in design, composition, and execution. Indeed, La becqu‚e stands as one of the finest paintings in Elizabeth's oeuvre . In an often quoted remark, Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau frankly revealed, "I would rather be known as the best imitator of Bouguereau than be nobody".