Galerie Paul Prouté

A painter, pastel artist, printmaker, and writer, Gustave Achille Guillaumet was one of the leading figures in 19th-century French Orientalist painting. Trained in Abel de Pujol’s studio and admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in 1857, he won the second Prix de Rome in 1861. While on his way to Italy, he ultimately chose to set sail for Algiers—a pivotal decision that would shape his work for years to come. Between 1862 and 1884, he made about ten trips to Algeria and spent extended periods in the southern part of the country. An attentive observer, Guillaumet distinguished himself through the almost ethnographic precision of his gaze, which he captured in his paintings.