Jean-Michel Picart (c. 1600 – 1682)

• Was a Flemish still life painter and art dealer active in France.
• He was together with Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer one of the most successful still life painters in France in his time.
• Jean-Michel Picart left Antwerp and moved to Paris where he is recorded from the 1630s.
• He was an active member of the community of painters of Flemish origin who had settled in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
• He enjoyed the patronage of Gaston Henri de Bourbon, the nominal bishop of Metz and later Duke of Verneuil.
• In 1640, Picart was admitted to the Académie de Saint-Luc.
• Picart was renowned for his activity as a merchant of original works and copies.

• He dealt in Dutch and Flemish landscapes, hunting scenes by Frans Snyders and small religious compositions.

• Jean-Michel Picart married and became widowed three times.

• The Flemish painter Philippe de Champaigne and the French flower painter Nicolas Baudesson appear in various notarial deeds relating to Picart.

• In 1651, Picart became a member of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture.

• He was named by king Louis XIV 'Peintre du Roy' (Painter to the King) in 1671, then ordinary painter to the king from 1679 to 1682.

• The artist was active in Paris until his death on 24 November 1682. 

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