It was the first exhibition of Elizabeth Vigee-Lebrun in Europe ever and the first public exhibition anywhere since 1984, and that was in the U.S. I sure don't know why, because she is a first rate painter. We were aware of her from our Colorado art history research, as it was she for whom the first association of Colorado women artists was named. We've seen her works, in the Louvre and in the Jacquemart-Andre but it's hard to judge from a sampling of two. But this exhibition in the Grand Palais is just superb, it really allows one to see just how accomplished she was. Her artististic outpouring came from the 1780's thru the 1840's and encompassed the court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette as well as Catherine the Great of Russia, and the Habsburgs of Austria all of who's courts she painted in. 
She had to flee the French Revolution due to the fact that she was the designated portrait painter for Marie-Antoinette and thus tarred with a very dirty brush at that time. So she spent 12 years travelling around to the courts of Europe supporting herself and her daughter very nicely on the proceeds from the portraits she painted of the leading nobility from various royal courts.
She was able to return to France after the excesses of the revolution had played out and Napoleon was in power. She is beautiful herself and her talent for making her sitters very appealing as well is not to be denied.
After the exhibition we walked by Sotheby's and on a whim went in to have a look, very high end stuff and an auction going on which was great sport to see.
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