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Anne Vallayer-Coster
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28 April 2026

Anne Vallayer-Coster (1744–1818) was one of just four female academicians admitted to the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in the late 18th century. She made her debut at the Paris Salon only a year after joining the academy with her outstanding still-lifes. Later, she secured Queen Marie Antoinette as a patron.
This book, the first English-language publication in over 20 years dedicated to this artist, provides a fresh, feminist re-evaluation of her biography and artistic context. Exploring the wide range of objects, materials and textures which the artist depicted – from food and flowers to guns and game – this study offers a new, synaesthetic framework for experiencing the visceral qualities of Vallayer-Coster’s still-life paintings as they were understood in her own time.
ART / Subjects & Themes / Still Life, History of art
Kelsey Brosnan is a writer and art historian specialising in 18th- and 19th-century French paintings, works on paper and decorative arts. She is Visiting Assistant Professor in the History of Art and Design Department at Pratt Institute, New York and also works as a writer and cataloguer for Christie's, New York.
Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1 Vallayer-Coster, Académicienne / Citoyenne; 2 Allegories; 3 Food; 4 The Hunt; 5 Shells; 6 Flowers; Conclusion; Appendix: Vallayer-Coster at the Salon, 1771-1817; Notes; Bibliography; Image Credits; Index