Baron Taylor, President from 1844 to 1879
Edmond du Sommerard, President from 1879 to 1885
Architect, painter, Art Historian and collector (Paris, 1817 –1885)
Son of the founder of the Cluny Museum, Alexandre Du Sommerard, would be its first Curator and would significantly add to the museum’s collections. A member of the Commission of Historical Monuments, member of the international journey of universal exhibitions of London (1851, 1862), Du Sommerard became, as of 1870, a member of the High Committee of International Exhibitions, with headquarters located in the Cluny Museum. In 1877, the architect-painter became a founding member of the Central Union of Arts Décoratifs and, in 1882, was elected a free member of the Academy of Fine Arts.
William Bouguereau, President from 1885 to 1905
Painter, (La Rochelle, 1825 – 1905)
Trained at the Paris School of Fine Arts, he was awarded the Grand Prix of Rome recipient in 1850. Bouguereau collaborated with art dealers Durand-Rueil and Goupil as of 1860. The artist became a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1876. In 1877, tragedy struck with the loss of his wife and children. Founding member and first President of the Society of French Artists, as of 1888 he was a professor at the School of Fine Arts and Academy Julian. Bouguereau would use his influence to gain access for women to artistic institutions
Albert Maignan, President from 1905 to 1908
Painter (Beaumont-sur-Sarthe, 1845 – Saint-Prix, 1908)
After studying law, the artist devoted himself to the art of painting, under the mentorship of Jules Noël. He then joined the studio of Evarist Luminais. Exhibiting at the French Salon des Artistes, Maignan was awarded a Medal of Honor in 1892. And at the World’s Fair in 1889, Maignan received the Gold Medal. He was named a Knight of the French Legion of Honor in 1905.
Tony Robert-Fleury, President from 1908 to 1911
Painter (Paris, 1837 – 1911)
His education started alongside his father, painter Joseph Nicolas Robert-Fleury. The artist would then study at the Paris School of Fine Arts (under Léon Cogniet and Paul Delaroche). He would teach at the Academy Julian and succeed Bouguereau as President of the Society of French Artists. Robert-Fleury created the Syndicate of Artistic Property in 1896 and was named Knight of the French Legion of Honor in 1873.
Victor Laloux, President from 1912 to 1937
Architect (Tours, 1850 – Paris, 1937)
Laloux was admitted to the Paris School of Fine Arts in 1869 to study under Louis-Jules André. The War of 1870 put his studies on pause. Awarded the Grand Prix of Rome recipient in 1868, the architect would succeed André as professor at the School of Fine Arts in 1890 and be elected member of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1909. Finally, Laloux was made President of the Society of French Artists in 1910.
Emile Buland, President from 1937 to 1938
Engraver (Paris, 1857 – 1938)
Having studied at the Paris School of Fine Arts under Cabanel and Henriquel-Dupont, the artist was awarded the Grand Prix of Rome recipient in 1880. Elected member of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1925, he would be President of the five academies in 1935. Officer of the French Legion of Honor.
Henri Delaage, President from 1938 to 1942
Architect (Paris, 1900 – 1942)
The son of an architect with whom he partnered at the beginning of his career, Delaage stuied under Laloux and Lemaresquier at the Paris School of Fine Arts (DPLG), in 1929. He enrolled as a member of the Society of Architects with Government Diplomas (SADG) in 1932, and with the Société Centrale in 1936. Delaage went on to become a civil engineer and architect of national monuments, and was appointed Architect in Chief of the Ministry of Reconstruction and Urbanism, for the Manche region of France.
Maurice Moisset President from 1942 to 1946
Painter (Paris, 1860 – 1946)
With a degree in law, the artist devoted himself to following the teachings of Jules Lefebvre and Emile Charles Dameron in his painting style. As of 1888, he regularly exhibited at the Salon, at the Cercle Volney, and with the Georges Petit Galerie, reputed for its support of events like the Salon des Arts. In 1924, Moisset was appointed Official Painter of the Fleet and admitted as a lifetime member to the Cercle de l’Union Artistique. Knight of the French Legion of Honor.
René Patouillard-Demoriane, President from 1946 to 1952
Architect (Toulouse 1867 – 1957)
Admitted to the School of Fine Arts in 1883, studied with Léon Ginain. Awarded the Grand Prize in Architecture in 1895. Before World War I, the artist established the School of Fine Arts in Nancy, the National Institute of Agronomy, today AgroParisTech, rue Claude-Bernard in Paris’ 5th district and the Bank of Indochina on boulevard Haussmann (Paris 9th). After World War II, Patouillard-Demoriane participated in the reconstruction of zones in the Ardennes region, devastated by the war. The artist would succeed Pierre André to run the Architecture Department at the School of Fine Arts from 1930 et 1937. He was made a Knight of the French Legion of Honor in 1910.
Edouard Marcel Sandoz, President from 1952 to 1971
Sculptor, painter (Basel 1881 – Lausanne 1971)
After studying at the Paris School of Fine Arts under Antonin Mercié and Jean-Antoine Injalbert, Sandoz went on to work with diverse materials: marble, bronze, ceramics... He founded the French Society for Animal Art in 1933 and created the Works of Child Artists, participating in the creation of the City of Arts in Paris. A member of the Academy of Fine Arts, he was awarded the rank of Commander of the French Legion of Honor.
Georges Cheyssial, President from 1971 to 1995
Painter (Paris 1907 – 1997)
Admitted at the age of 14 to the School of Fine Arts, under Pierre Laurens, Chevssial won the Grand Prix of Rome recipient in 1932. He is the artist who gave us the interior design of the Palais de la Découverte in Paris, the frescos of the Toulouse University of Letters, the Orsay Faculty of Science and the New City of Villiers-sur-Marne. He was a member of the Academy of Fine Arts, President of the Society of French Artists and Curator of the Jean-Jacques Henner Museum in Paris.
Paul Ambille, President from 1995 to 2007
Painter (Béziers 1930 – Arette 2010)
Admitted to the School of Fine Arts, under Jean Dupas, Raymond Legueult and Edouard Goerg, Ambille won the Grand Prix of Rome recipient in 1955. In 1992, he was awarded the Gold Medal at the Salon de la Marine and was appointed Official Painter of the Fleet the following year. Ambille was President of the Society of French Artists, Administrator of the Liaison Committee of Art Salons and Syndicates under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and was a member of the State Procurement Commission.
Arlette Le More, President from 2007 to 2010
Painter (1930 – 2015)
Le More first studied sculpture at the Grande Chaumière studio before being admitted to the School of Fine Arts’ sculpture and monumental art department, under Alfred Janniot. She went on to study painting under Claude Schurr at the Julian Academy. In 1987, Le More was appointed Studio Head at the Port-Royal Academy. In 1982, she was a founding member of the Group of 109, where she would hold the office of President from 1989-1996.
Jean-François Larrieu, President since 2010
Painter (born in Tarbes in 1960)
A precocious artist, Larrieu’s works quickly gained access to museum exhibitions with the Contemporary Art Museums of Moscow and Saint Petersburg in 1991, the Museum of Beirut in 1993, the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo and the Museum of Informal Art in Nagawamura in 1994, the Museum of Fine Arts of Shanghai in 1995, the Museum of Fine Art of Bordeaux in 1998, the National Museum of China, Beijing in 2001, the National Museum of Taiwan and the Museum of Fine Art in Kaoswing in 2004. He was President of the Salon d’Automne from 1995-2004 and co-founder of Art Capital in Paris’ Grand Palais, in 2006.