Félix Ziem

France·1821-1911

Félix Ziem was a French painter born in Beaune in 1821 who became a commercially successful artist of the Barbizon School. Originally trained as an architect at the École des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, he turned to painting after moving to Marseille in 1839, where he studied informally under Adolphe Monticelli. A transformative visit to Venice in 1841 led him to return to the city annually until 1892, making Venetian scenes central to his practice. Following travels through the Ottoman Empire and Egypt in 1857–58, he incorporated Orientalist subjects into his work alongside landscapes of diverse locations, still lifes, and portraits. He exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon from 1849 and moved to Montmartre in 1860. Recognized by the French government with the Legion of Honour in 1857 and promoted to Officer in 1878, he was also known for supporting young artists. He died in Paris in 1911.