Louis-Héctor Leroux
French, 1829-1900
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Louis Hector Leroux was a French painter in the academic style.
Training as a wigmaker, he briefly worked in that profession in his birthplace at the same time as taking a drawing course in the town's art college, winning all its art prizes. These prizes earned Leroux a small bursary to go to Paris to study further, and he entered the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in 1849. He studied in the studio of François-Édouard Picot, producing copies of illustrations and museum works to supplement his income. He won the second prize in the Prix de Rome in 1857, staying in Rome from then until 1874. Shortly after his arrival in Rome the French state commissioned him to produce a painted copy of Titian's Sacred and Profane Love, whilst he later also produced copies for the Gobelins manufactory. He travelled from Rome to the rest of Italy, to Greece, Asia Minor, Turkey and Egypt, making occasional return trips to Paris. From 1863 onwards he painted almost solely classical subjects, along with occasional historical or biblical subjects. His daughter Laura Leroux was also a painter.