Sale of paintings by Théodore Géricault

Born in Rouen in 1791 into a wealthy family, Théodore Géricault spent his early years in Paris, where his family moved when he was only five years old.

An avid horseman since childhood, Géricault took up the art of drawing at an early age. His first self-portrait dates from 1808, at the age of 17. His uncle encouraged him to pursue his artistic path. He was then part of the royal guard ordered by Louis XVIII during the country's first monarchic restoration. He accompanied the king to Ghent during the short-lived return of Napoleon. After being disqualified from the competition to win the Prix de Rome, Géricault leaves for Italy in 1816.

After a stay in England, Géricault returned to France and fell ill. At the Salpêtrière Hospital, he painted portraits of mentally ill patients (monomaniacs), a subject that had never been painted before. In a state of anxiety, Géricault fell from his horse in 1823. He died a few months later, after intense and painful pain. Théodore Géricault is, along with Eugène Delacroix, the epitome of the French Romantic painter.