Achille-Etna Michallon

Nationality: French

1796 - 1822

When Michallon died of pneumonia at age 25, he was considered the most promising landscape painter of his generation. He was born the son of a sculptor, began drawing lessons at eight, and studied under Jacques-Louis David and Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris. He debuted at the Salon in 1812, at the age of 16 and was the first recipient of the Prix de Rome for historical landscape in 1817, which allowed him to study in Rome. There, he met François-Marius Granet and Johann Christian Clausen Dahl, among others, and when he returned to Paris, he opened a teaching studio attended by Camille Corot.

Place of Birth: Paris
Place of Death: Paris

Text written and researched by Michelle Bird National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.