Le Cercle Francophone d'Histoire: Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun

Le Cercle Francophone d’Histoire presents a French-language discussion of Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, one of the foremost portrait painters of her era. Eric Simonis will discuss her early talent, rise as Marie-Antoinette’s official and favored painter, portraits of the royal family and aristocracy, and admission to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture.

The program will also trace Vigée Le Brun’s more than decade-long exile during the French Revolution, when she traveled from Rome to Saint Petersburg and painted European sovereigns and elites. The discussion will consider her command of light, color, and textiles; her innovative, emotionally expressive portraits of mothers and children; her return to France under the Consulate; and her later memoirs. Her legacy includes more than 600 paintings.

When: Wednesday, December 2, at 2:00 PM.

Format: Virtual speaker series program.

Speaker: Eric Simonis, a Lorraine native who has lived in Philadelphia since 1990. A hospitality-industry veteran and former Walnut Hill College instructor, Simonis founded OuiFrenchPhila in 2017 as a private French-language instruction service. He also spent six years tutoring at the Lauder Institute of International Studies, preparing students for oral-proficiency interviews.

Program Series: Simonis appears monthly at the Athenaeum to lead Le Cercle Francophone d’Histoire, a group combining French-language learning with explorations of French history, culture, and intellectual and human achievement. His lectures are delivered in slow French.

Tickets: The page lists a suggested donation of $5.00.

Registration Note: Registration constitutes consent to share your email address with the program organizer.

Venue: The Athenæum of Philadelphia, 219 S. 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106-3794.

Contact: 215-925-2688.

Run time: Not specified.

Age guidance: Not specified.