Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart

Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart (French pronunciation: [alɛksɑ̃dʁ teɔdɔʁ bʁɔ̃ɲaʁ]; 15 February 1739 – 6 June 1813) was a prominent French architect, born in Paris.

Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart
Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart with his design for the Paris Bourse (1808)
Born	(1739-02-15)15 February 1739 Paris, Kingdom of France
Died	6 June 1813(1813-06-06) (aged 74) Paris, French Empire
Occupation	Architect
Spouse(s)	Anne Louise Brongniart, née Degrémont (1744–1829)
Children	Alexandre Brongniart Louise Théodore Brongniart 1772–1845 Emilie Louise Alexandrine Brongniart 1780–1847

Biography

In 1767, Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart married Anne Louise Degrémont (1744–1829). The couple became friends of the royal portrait painter, Marie Louise Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun who painted the portrait of their daughter, Emilie Louise Alexandrine Brongniart (1780–1847) that now hangs in the National Gallery in London, known as Mademoiselle Brongniart, 1788. During the Reign of Terror, Vigée-Lebrun hid in Brongniart's home before fleeing the country.

Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart was also a close friend of Jean Antoine Houdon, the pre-eminent French sculptor of the day who sculpted busts of his daughter Alexandrine-Emilie and his son Alexandre Jr. that are now in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart designed several hôtels particuliers, including the Hôtel de Bourbon-Condé and the Hotel de Monaco. In 1781, he was received as a member of the Académie Royale d'Architecture,^[1] and in 1782, he was named architect and controller-general of the Ecole Militaire (Military School). In the same year, he refurbished the Hôtel de Besenval.^[2] In 1804, he was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte to create the layout for the famous Père Lachaise Cemetery. The Emperor was so pleased with his work that in 1807, he chose Brongniart to design the Paris Bourse (the Parisian stock exchange). Brongniart did all of the designs, but it would be his last work and he would not live to see the classical Greek styled building completed in 1825. The building was named "Palais Brongniart" in his honor and remains in use to this day.

Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart died in Paris in 1813 and was interred there in the cemetery he had designed.

Family

Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart and his wife Anne Louise had three children. Their son Alexandre went on to become a respected geologist and director of the famous Sèvres porcelain factory. His son, and therefore grandson of Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, Adolphe Theodore Brongniart, became a famous botanist^[3] known as the father of paleobotany and a recipient of the Wollaston Medal in science text.

Gallery

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  Hôtel de Besenval, Paris (1704). Renovation and construction of the nymphaeum by Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart in 1782
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  Église Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, Romainville (1787)
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  Palais Brongniart, Paris (1808)