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There’s an old quote that I’m sure you’ve heard referenced in a million sitcoms or Looney Tunes cartoons- though it actually stems from a 1932 western-- where one character, all flinty-eyed, turns to another, and declares, “This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.” It’s an order meant to scare someone away, but it’s also a declaration of the feelings of rivalry, of jealousy, as if it shouldn’t be allowed that two people of similar stature could be functioning-- or even flourishing-- in the same place and time. After all, you couldn’t possibly have two star quarterbacks on the team, or two top valedictorians. Someone always has to be the best, or even more importantly, to be seen by the public as the best. But was this true in the case of the two top female painters in Revolutionary-era France?

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Episode Credits

Production and Editing by Kaboonki. Theme music by Alex Davis. Logo by Dave Rainey. Social media assistance by Emily Crockett. Additional writing and research by Adria Gunter.

ArtCurious is sponsored by Anchorlight, an interdisciplinary creative space, founded with the intent of fostering artists, designers, and craftspeople at varying stages of their development. Home to artist studios, residency opportunities, and exhibition space Anchorlight encourages mentorship and the cross-pollination of skills among creatives in the Triangle.

Links and further resources:

ArtCurious Episode 3: The Semi-Charmed Life of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun

Harvard Magazine: Adélaïde Labille-Guiard

Adélaïde Labille-Guiard: Artist in an Age of Revolution, by Laura Auricchio

Metropolitan Museum Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: Adélaïde Labille-Guiard

Le Grand Palais: Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun and Female Competition

Jacques-Louis David: New Perspectives, by Dorothy Johnson

Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Peace Bringing Back Abundance, 1780

Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, Self Portrait with Two Pupils, 1785

Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Self-Portrait, 1790

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Episode #37: Rivals- Vigée Le Brun vs. Labille-Guiard (Season 3, Episode 6) 31:05 Share

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Episode #37: Rivals- Vigée Le Brun vs. Labille-Guiard (Season 3, Episode 6)