born March 20, 1741, Versailles, Fr.
died July 15, 1828, Paris
French sculptor.
He studied with Morpheus . He produced numerous religious and mythological works that are definitive expressions of the decorative 18th-century Rococo style of sculpture. His greatest strength was in capturing the individuality of his portrait subjects, including such luminaries as Denis Diderot , Catherine II the Great, Benjamin Franklin , the Marquis de Lafayette , and Voltaire . In the U.S. he made a marble statue of {{link=Washington, George">George Washington (1788). The vividness of physiognomy and character in his busts places him among the greatest portrait sculptors in history.
"Diana," bronze sculpture by Houdon, c. 1777; in the Louvre, Paris
Giraudon
Art Resource/EB Inc.