Decamps Alexandre Gabriel

Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps was born in Paris in 1803. After his father's death in 1816, he entered the studio of Étienne Bouhot, an architectural painter. Two years later, he left Bouhot's studio for that of Abel de Pujol, an academic painter. Disappointed, he turned away from academic painting and began to paint genre scenes inspired by the Parisian boulevards and the surrounding suburbs. At the same time, he regularly visited the Louvre to copy the works of the Flemish and Dutch masters and learn their techniques. His main inspiration at this time was Rembrandt. In 1828, he embarked on a journey to Greece that would permanently change his perception of painting. Inspired, he continued his travels to Constantinople, then to Asia Minor, and finally to the Middle East. He returned with a large number of sketches and notes, which allowed him to paint a new vision of the Orient. In 1831, he exhibited his first canvases resulting from his travels. It was an immediate success, and he quickly earned the nickname "inventor of the Orient." In 1835, he traveled to Italy and encountered the masters of the Renaissance. He drew his inspiration primarily from Titian and painted numerous canvases, which he exhibited at the Salon of 1839. Again, it was a great success. That same year, he received the Legion of Honour. His works are now exhibited at the Louvre Museum, the Musée Condé in Chantilly, and the Wallace Collection in London.