19th Century French Painting Louvre Tour

This 19th-century French Painting tour is the last one of our Louvre French painting series. Actually, the tour should better be called “the first half of 19th century French Painting” as to have the second half of the 19th century you will have to change of museum and follow our Musée d’Orsay private guided tour.

Private from 90 € for 2, 115 € for 3 etc.

Photo of a landscape painting by Achille Etna Michallon, the master of Corot to illustrate the Le Louvre private tour 19th century french painting, Paris, France.

This is in the beginning of the 19th century that landscape took its independence from history painting. In 1817 was created the price of Landscape, Achille Etna Michallon, the master of Corot was the first laureate.

Louvre 19th century French Painting private tour in a Nutshell

+/- 2-hour guided tour in English
From 90 € for 1 to 2 people, 115 € for 3 etc.
Really private tour (your party only 6 people max.)
Flexible time schedule
Postgraduate (MPhil) certified French national guide
Availability: not on Tuesdays

Tour with Skip-the-line ticket to buy on line (optionaly we can do it for you).
Skip-the-line-ticket clarification: they are just standard online tickets.

KNOW MORE / BOOK NOW

Your Private Tour Guide in Paris

Certified French national guide
BA, Magna Cum Laude, Heritage Developpement & Preservation from Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers
Postgraduate from Paris Dauphine-PSL University

Why to Follow a 19th Century French Painting in the Louvre?

Because the French 19th century is the key period of art evolution. A century starting wisely returning to art references with neoclassical and ending breaking all the rules with impressionism and then fauvism and cubism in the first years of the 20th century.

More practically we don’t go in this tour in Salle Mollien (Molien Gallery) where are the world famous huge paintings by Delacroix, Géricault or David as “La liberté guidant le peuple“, “the Raft of the Medusa” or “the coronation of Napoleon“, but we go to the much more quiet French Painting dedicated floor. There we will peacefully admire smaller paintings by the same French masters.

An opportunity to see and comment numerous oil sketches or oil studies (artworks made in preparation for a larger finished painting, also called modeli).

Photo of odalisque by Ingres to illustrate the Louvre 19th century french painting private tour in Paris, France

There are few versions of odalisque by Ingres. Watching this master pieces one question comes : Was Ingres really academic?

Content of the Tour

Styles

Neoclassicism
Romanticism
Saint-Sulpicien
Academicism
Beginning of the Barbizon School

Le Salon de Peinture

What it was
How to be admitted
Where was it organized
The price of Rome

Painters

First Empire painters: Jacques-Louis-David, Antoine-Jean Gros, François Gérard.
Théodore Géricault and the horses
Eugène Delacroix, the color
Ingres, the drawing
Ary Scheffer romantic painter and drawing teacher to the children of the last king of the French Louis-Philippe I.
The death of Achille Etna Michallon the young Master of Corot
Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot
Théodore Rousseau

Oil Sketches and Studies

Oil studies for “the Raft of the Medusa” by Géricault, the bridge between Neoclassical and Romanticism
Oil studies for “the Death of Sardanapale” by Delacroix

Technical Considerations

How non-controled innovations in color pigment badly impacted some paintings.

And lots more

Don’t miss the opportunity to follow our Le louvre 19th century French Painting Private Tour

Other Le Louvre French Paintings Private Tours

This 17th-century French painting tour is part of a series of four Le Louvre French painting tours covering the subject from middle Age to the first half of 19th century. So do not hesitate to contact us if you want to follow the full cycle. Knowing that our Musée d’Orsay Private tour covering the period from 1850 to 1914 is somehow the fifth part of the cycle.

Full Series of Le Louvre French Paintings Private Tour

Middle Age and Renaissance French painting
17th-century French Painting
18th-century French Painting
19th-century French Painting

Things to know before Booking

Louvre Tickets, Museum Pass & Skip-the-line Clarifications

A Skip-the-line ticket is just a standard online one. You line for health and security and skip the purchasing line on site ... like nearly everyone else. Louvre website says "All visitors, including those entitled to free admission, must book a time slot. Buy your ticket online on www.ticketlouvre.fr. During off-peak times, there may also be a limited number of time slots for same-day visits available for booking at the museum. However ... to guarantee your entry ... we strongly advise booking your time slot in advance online."

"Licenced guides easier access": Since COVID this entry is now reserved for groups of more than 6 people. Officialy, no more priviledge there for tiny private tours.

Free admission (with online ticket mandatory): Children up to 18 y/o, European ... up to 26 y/o and some other specific situations. Paris Museum Pass: Available on the Pass website, includes the right to reserve a timed ticket on the Louvre website for free.

Attention Points

Tour on foot in Louvre's hudge galeries so good health & comfortable shoes are mandatory.
Louvre rooms closing without notice may (rarely) happend, so you will be asked during booking to choose a substitution thematique tour in case.

Restrictions

Private tour means a tour for you & your party only, not that the museum is privatized.
Tour duration & content are purely indicative, they may vary due to contingencies.
Prices do not include transportation, food, drinks or any other extra services.
Museum tickets are not included in the price.

Meeting Point

Easy one Inside the museum (detail during booking)

Access: Metro line 1 station Palais-Royal

Book your Louvre Private Tour

Just request the date, time, number of people you want for your Louvre tour in our calendar and follow the below 4 steps online easy process.

(1) Receive our OK email (free reservation valid 48 hours)

(2) Buy your Louvre tickets on line (compatible schedule)

(3) Once you have your ticket pay your tour on line

(4) Receive our
confirmation (email)

Nota bene : Step (1) free reservation is lost if no step (3) payment received after 48h. Buy your ticket on Louvre official web site. Louvre is closed on Tuesdays. Open hours: 9 am - 6 pm. Any exit is final.