Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres was born #OnThisDay in 1780. At the height of his career, Ingres regarded himself as a painter of historical themes, the most respected subject in academic art. Portraiture he thought of as less important. However, centuries later, he is most well-known for his iconic portrait of ‘Madame Moitessier'. Wearing her finest clothes and jewellery, Madame Moitessier is the embodiment of luxury and style during the Second Empire, which saw the restoration of the French imperial throne and the extravagant display of wealth. This captivating portrait went on to influence generations of artists, including the abstract painter, Pablo Picasso. Having first encountered ‘Madame Moitessier’ at an exhibition in Paris in 1921, Picasso was enthralled. Over the next decade, he repeatedly referenced Ingres in his art, and painted ‘Woman with a Book’, one of his most celebrated portraits, in homage to Ingres’s famous work. For the first time ever, you can see these two portraits side by side in our latest free exhibition; ‘Picasso Ingres: Face to Face’, tracing the continuous thread between 19th and 20th-century artistic development. Find out more and book your ticket at the link in our bio 🔗 Visited these portraits already? Let us know what you thought in the comments below! #NationalGallery #ArtHistory #Picasso #Ingres #PabloPicasso