A Life in French Painting
Jules Vibert was a French painter born in Lyon, France. A student of Paul Delaroche, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris in 1839 and made his debut at the Salon in 1841. His life was closely connected to other notable figures of the era; his wife, Martha Adriana Johanna Leenhoff, was the sister of Suzanne Manet, the wife of Édouard Manet. Their son, Édouard, served as a copyist for Manet.
Vibert's body of work includes various religious and portrait subjects. His notable commissions and exhibited works include:
Artistic Legacy and Collections
The works of Jules Vibert are held in several public collections. In Canada, the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec holds Saint François (?), dated between 1845 and 1875. In France, his paintings can be found in the musée de Grenoble, the church of Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs, the church of Saint-Ignace, and the church of Saint-Ennemond.
His historical output also includes large-scale works such as a ceiling for the library of the château de Nozet, featuring figures like Dante and Pétrarque, and a large altarpiece for the chapel of Saint-Denis in the church of Dugny, which was destroyed during the Second World War.
