Laurent de La Hyre

Laurent de La Hyre, February 27, 1606–December 28, 1656, was a French painter, draftsman, and etcher born in Paris. He trained with his father, Étienne de La Hyre, and with Georges Lallemand, and studied the decorations at Fontainebleau. He never traveled to Italy.

La Hyre worked chiefly in Paris, painting religious, mythological, and allegorical subjects, landscapes, and decorative commissions. He produced paintings for Notre-Dame in 1635 and 1637 and helped found the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1648. His work developed from the mannerist tradition of Fontainebleau toward Parisian classicism. His pupils included François Chauveau and his son Philippe de La Hire.

During his final years, La Hyre continued painting religious subjects and landscapes. He died in Paris in 1656. His paintings and drawings are held by the Louvre Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Rijksmuseum, and Städel Museum.

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