Alfred de Curzon
Paul-Alfred Parent de Curzon was a French painter, known for his genre scenes and landscapes with figures.Biography
He was born to an aristocratic family. His grandfather was General. His older brother, Emmanuel, was a noted sociologist. In 1838, he attended the Salon and saw by Eugène Delacroix. It made such an impression on him that he took up the study of pastels and decided to become a painter.
In 1840, he enrolled at the École des beaux-arts de Paris and studied with Michel Martin Drolling. He had his début at the Salon in 1843. Upon the advice of one of his classmates, Louis Georges Brillouin, he switched to the landscape painting classes of Louis-Nicolas Cabat in 1845. Four years later, he produced his first major work, The Death of Milo of Croton. This enabled him to obtain a stipend for two years of study in Rome. There, he made the acquaintance of Alexandre Cabanel.
In 1852, he made an extensive tour of Greece, in the company of the writer, Edmond About, and the architect, Charles Garnier. Thereafter, Greek antiquities would play a major role in his work. In 1865, he was named a Chevalier in the Legion of Honor. He was awarded a first-class medal at the Exposition Universelle.
Many of his works may be seen in the Musée Sainte-Croix in Poitiers. He is buried in the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise
He was married to Amélie Saglio, the sister of , an engineer and part-time painter. His son, Henri de Curzon, was a journalist and musicologist.
