Georges Michel

Nationality: French

1763 - 1843

Although Michel traveled to Switzerland and Germany, he was loyal to his hometown of Paris, where he lived, worked, and died. He exhibited at the Salon continuously between 1791 and 1841, but was unsuccessful in achieving official recognition and earned his living by working as a copyist and restorer. Emulating the 17th-century masters of the Dutch Golden Age, he became known as “the Ruisdael of Montmartre,” specializing in landscapes of the windmills and plains of Saint-Denis just outside the city. His work was admired by avant-garde landscape artists later in the century, including Vincent van Gogh.

Place of Birth: Paris
Place of Death: Paris

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