Customer Reviews

The memoirs of Elisabeth Vigee-Le Brun

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I initially read this book to provide me with information about Mme. Vigee-Lebrun, my favorite woman artist, for a paper I was writing about her. As I read the book, I began to find it painful to put it down to take notes because I had become so engrossed in its content. In addition to providing hours of fascination, this book will prove to be an asset to those interested in knowing more about Vigee-Lebrun.

I read the 1903 edition of Vigee-LeBrun's memoirs (translated by Lionel Strachey), and had no idea how much had been left out. If you're interested in Vigee-LeBrun, this is the book to get! (Too bad it's out of print!) Her life was fascinating, and she tells it best. Travel with her from Revolutionary France to the court of Catherine the Great. Evans' translation is very fluid. Don't miss the "pen portraits" at the back of the book--they describe the artist's famous friends and acquaintances, such as Jacques-Louis David and Benjamin Franklin.

This is a facinating autobiography. You get a good sense of the times and the horrors of the French revolution. I read it on line, but I hope to find it on paper, also.