Gustave Moreau's 200th anniversary highlights his role as a Symbolist painter and teacher of modernists

Gustave Moreau, born on April 6, 200 years ago, was a French Symbolist painter known for dreamlike visions blending eros and death. He gained fame in 1864 with "Oedipus and the Sphinx" at the Paris Salon, attracting wealthy collectors while facing criticism from contemporaries like Émile Zola and Paul Gauguin. Moreau's works, rich in mythological and religious imagery, featured ornate depictions of female figures, such as Salome in "The Apparition." He taught notable modern artists including Henri Matisse, Henri Manguin, Albert Marquet, and Georges Rouault, bridging Romanticism and modernism. Moreau's legacy includes late abstract studies, though they remained unseen by major abstract artists. His unsold works are housed in the Musée Gustave Moreau in Paris, a former studio on Rue de La Rochefoucauld. The Surrealists, led by André Breton, later revived interest in his mystical art. Moreau's influence extended to Odilon Redon, who praised his modernity. His paintings continue to command high prices at auction, with even small works fetching six-figure sums in Swiss francs.