Meta-Impressionism:
Most awarded artists
1855 – 1900
The ultimate standard of Fine Arts
Introduction:
There was a limited amount of artists that were most highly awarded. You could say that these painters were the ultimate standard of Fine Arts. Who were these painters? Here below they will be mentioned (you can link to more information).
First the painters that were appointed (between 1855-1900) as Commandeur or Grand Officier in the Légion d’Honneur or that received a Grand Croix (in an alphabetical order).
Then the painters that received a ‘(Grande) Médaille d’Honneur’ or an ‘Grand Prix’ at the Salon, the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français and at the Expositions Universelle.
Most of these ‘most highly awarded artists’ also were member of L’Institut and called Academic painters.
Note 1: At another page you will find general info on the awards that were given to artists on the Salon, the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français and at the Expositions Universelle. At another page you will find an overview of painters received 1st class medals or were appointed as Officier in the Légion d’Honneur. These painters I call highly awarded artists. At another page you will find pictures of the awarded paintings and a chronological overview.
Note 2: When artists were most highly awarded after 1900, so when they received a special award, like a Grand Prix or a medaille d’honneur, and/or when they had been appointed as Commandeur or even as Grand Officier in the Légion d’Honneur, they still will be seen as a highly awarded artist in the period between 1855-1900.
Note 3: the amount of artists that were appointed as Chevalier in the Légion d’Honneur and who received 3rd or 2nd class medals was quite large, so those are left out of consideration.
Note 4: There is a seperate page on all the awards received by the partakers of the ‘impressionist’ expositions.
Légion d’Honneur
Here below you will find artists that were appointed as Commandeur or Grand Officier in the Légion d’Honneur or even received a Grand Croix (between 1855-1900). You will find them in an alphabetical order.
Baudry (Paul-Jacques-Aimé) (1828-1886):
Member of L’Institut since 1870 till 1886. Academic painter. Was appointed in the Légion d’Honneur as Chevalier in 1861, as Officier in 1869 and as Commandeur in 1879.
Benjamin-Constant, Jean-Joseph (1845-1902):
Member of L’Institut since 1893. Academic painter. Received at the Salon a medaille d’honneur in 1896. Received at the Exposition Universelle in 1900 a Grand Prix. Was appointed in the Légion d’Honneur as Chevalier in 1878, as Officier in 1884 and as Commandeur in 1900.
Bonnat, Léon (1833-1922):
He was member of l’Institute since 1881. Academic painter. Won a medal of honour at the Salon in 1869. Appointed in the Légion d’Honneur in 1867 as Chevalier, in 1874 as Officier, in 1882 as Commandeur and in 1897 as Grand Officier; in 1900 he received the Grand Croix. Note: in the future I will make a seperate page.
Bouguereau, William-Adolphe (1825-1905):
Néo-Classicist. Member of L’Institut since 1876. See seperate page. Bouguereau was appointed in the Légion d’Honneur as Chevalier in 1859, as Officier in 1876, as Commandeur in 1885 and (posthumously?) as Grand Officier in 1905.
Cabanel (Alexandre; 1823-89):
Néo-Classicist. Member of L’Institut since 1863. In 1884 he was appointed Commandeur in the Légion d’honneur. He receiverd a Médaille d’Honneur in 1865 + 1867+1878. See seperate page.
Carolus-Duran (1837-1917):
Para-Impressionist, see seperate page. He was appointed in the Légion d’Honneur in 1872 as Chevalier and in 1878 as Officier and in 1889 as Commandeur and in 1900 as Grand Officier. Became in 1904 member of L’Institut.
Cormon, Fernand (1845-1924):
Member of L’Institut since 1898. Academic painter, but he had has own eclectic style. Received at the Salon in 1887 a Médaille d’Honneur. Received at the Exposition Universelle a Grand Prix in 1889. Was appointed in the Légion d’Honneur as Chevalier in 1880, as Officier in 1889 and as Commandeur.
Delaborde, Vicomte Henri (1811-99):
Membre Libre of L’Institut since 1868. Was appointed in the Légion d’Honneur in 1860 as Chevallier, in 1870 as Officier and in 1893 as Commandeur.
Delacroix (1798-1863):
Romantic painter. 1855/11/14 appointed Commandeur (R337/1857). See Seperate page.
Detaille, Édouard (1848 – 1912):
He was member of L’Institut since 1892 till 1912. Academic painter. Received at the Salon a Médaille d’Honneur in 1888. At the Exposition Universelle of 1889 he received a Grand Prix. Was appointed in the Légion d’Honneur in 1873 as Chevalier, in 1881 as Officier and in 1897 as Commandeur and in 1910 as Grand Officier.
Dubois(-Pigalle), Paul (1829-1905):
Member of L’Institut since 1876 (sculpture section). Was appointed in the Légion d’Honneur in 1886 as Commandeur and received in 1896 the Grand-Croix.
Gérôme (Jean-Léon; 1824-1904):
Néo-Classicist, see seperate page. Member of l’Institut since 1865. Academic painter. Received a Medaille d’Honneur at the Exposition Universelle in 1867 + 1878 and at the Salon in 1874. He was appointed in the Légion d’Honneur in 1855 as Chevalier, in 1867 as Officier, in 1878 as Commandeur and in 1900 as Grand Officier.
Gudin, Théodore:
1855/11/14 appointed Commandeur (R337/1857).
Hébert (Antoine-Auguste-Ernest) (1817-1908):
Member of l’Institut since 1874. Academic painter. Received at the Salon in 1895 a Médaille d’Honneur. At the Exposition Universelle in 1900 he received a Grand Prix. He was appointed in the Légion d’Honneur in 1853 as Chevalier, in 1867 as Officier, in 1874 as Commandeur, in 1896 as Grand Officier and received the Grand-Croix in 1900.
Henner (Jean-Jacques) (1829-1905):
Member of l’Institut since 1889. Academic painter. At the Salon in 1898 he received a Médaille d’Honneur. He was appointed in the Légion d’Honneur in 1873 as Chevallier, in 1878 as Officier and in 1898 as Commandeur. At the Exposition Universelle in 1900 he won the Grand Prix.
Ingres:
Néo-Classicist. He was appointed in the Légion d’Honneur Commandeur in 1845 and Grand Officier in 1855. At the Exposition Universelle in 1855 he received a Médaille d’Honneur. (R337/1857).
Laurens (Jean-Paul) (1838-1921):
Was member of L’Institut since 1891. Academic painter. Received at the Salon in 1877 a Médaille d’Honneur. He was appointed in the Légion d’Honneur in 1874 as Chevalier, in 1878 as Officier and in 1900 as Commandeur.
Lefebvre (Jules-Joseph) (1836-1912):
Was member of L’Institut since 1891. Academic painter. Received at the Salon in 1886 a Médaille d’Honneur. At the Exposition Universelle he received in 1889 a Grand Prix. He was appointed in the Légion d’Honneur in 1870 as Chevalier, in 1878 as Officier and in 1895 as Commandeur.
Meissonier, Jean-Louis-Ernest (1815-91):
Was member of L’Institut since 1861. Academic painter. At the Exposition Universelle in 1855 he received a Grande Médaille d’Honneur and in 1867 a Médaille d’Honneur. He was appointed in the Légion d’Honneur in 1846 as Chevalier and in 1856 as Officier and in 1867 as Commandeur.
Robert-Fleury (Joseph-Nicolas) (1797-1890):
Was member of L’Institut since 1850. Academic painter. He was appointed in the Légion d’Honneur in 1836 as Chevalier and in 1849 as Officier and in 1867 as Commandeur.
Roll, Alfred-Philippe (1846-1919):
Appointed in the Légion d’Honneur as Chevalier (1883), Officier (1889), Commandeur (1900) and Grand Officier (1913). See para-impressionists.
Médaille d’Honneur and Grand Prix
Here below you will find in a chronological order the names of the French painters that received a (Grande) Médaille d’Honneur and a Grand Prix. See link for an overview of the distribution of high awards per year. Most of them were member of L’Institut and called Academic painters. When different I will indicate.
1855 (Exposition Universelle); Médaille d’Honneur:
At the Exposition Universelle in 1855 10 Grandes Médailles d’Honneurs were distributed, including for the following 6 French painters (R337/1857):
Decamps (Alexandre-Gabriel);
Delacroix (Eugène);
Heim (François-Joseph) (1787-1865);
Ingres (Jean-Auguste-Dominiques);
Meissonier (Jean-Louis-Ernest); Grande Médaille d’Honneur.
Vernet (Émile-Jean-Horace).
At the Salon of 1857-1867; Médaille d’Honneur:
1857:
Yvon (Adolphe): See meta-impressionists.
1859:
?
1861:
Pils (Isidore) (1813-1875)
1863:
?
1864:
?
1865:
Cabanel (Alexandre) (1823-89):
1866:
?
1867:
?
1867, Exposition Universelle; Médaille d’Honneur:
Cabanel (Alexandre) (1823-89):
Gérôme (Jean-Léon) (1824-1904):
Meissonier, Jean-Louis-Ernest (1815-91):
At the Salon of 1868-1878; Médaille d’Honneur:
1868, Salon:
Brion (Gustave): See meta-impressionists.
1869, Salon:
Bonnat, Léon (1833-1922):
1870:
Robert-Fleury (Tony):
1872:
Jules Breton; See para-impressionists.
1873:
?
1874:
Gérôme (Jean-Léon) (1824-1904):
1875:
?
1876:
?
1877:
Laurens (Jean-Paul) (1838-1921):
1878, Salon:
?
1878, Exposition Universelle; Médaille d’Honneur:
Bouguereau, William-Adolphe (1825-1905): Member of L’Institut since 1876. See seperate page.
Cabanel (Alexandre) (1823-89): (Grand Médaille d’Honneur)
Français (François-Louis; 1814-97): Barbizon painter and pre-impressionist.
Gérôme (Jean-Léon) (1824-1904):
At the Salon of 1879-1889; Médaille d’Honneur:
1879:
Carolus-Duran (1837-1917): Para-Impressionist, see seperate page.
1880:
Morot, Aimé-Nicolas (1850-1913):
1881:
?
1882:
?
1883:
?
1884:
?
1885:
Bouguereau, William-Adolphe (1825-1905): Member of L’Institut since 1876. See seperate page.
1886:
Lefebvre (Jules-Joseph) (1836-1912):
1887:
Cormon, Fernand (1845-1924):
1888:
Detaille, Édouard (1848 – 1912/12/24):
1889:
?
1889, Exposition Universelle; Grand Prix:
Bernier (Camille): See meta-impressionists.
Collin (Louis-Joseph-Raphaël): See meta-impressionists.
Cormon, Fernand (1845-1924):
Dagnan-Bouveret: para-impressionist; see seperate page.
Delaunay, Jules-Élie (1828-91):
Detaille, Édouard (1848 – 1912/12/24):
Lefebvre (Jules-Joseph) (1836-1912):
Lhermitte (Léon-Augustin); see para-impressionists.
Morot, Aimé-Nicolas (1850-1913): See meta-impressionists.
At the Salon of 1890-1900; Médaille d’Honneur:
1890:
Français, Louis (1814-97); see pre-impressionists.
1891:
?
1892:
Maignan, Albert(-Pierre-René) (1845-1908):
1893:
Roybet, Ferdinand (1840-1920):
1895:
Hébert (Antoine-Auguste-Ernest) (1817-1908):
1896:
Benjamin-Constant, Jean-Joseph (1845-1902). Member of L’Institut since 1893.
1897:
Harpignies, Henri (1819-1916): see para-impressionists.
1898:
Henner (Jean-Jacques) (1829-1905):
1899:
Tattegrain, Françis (1852-1915):
1900:
Humbert, Ferdinand;
1900, Exposition Universelle; Grand Prix:
Benjamin-Constant, Jean-Joseph (1845-1902). Member of L’Institut since 1893.
Cazin, Jean-Charles;
Dagnan-Bouveret; para-impressionist.
Harpignies, Henri (1819-1916): see para-impressionists.
Hébert (Antoine-Auguste-Ernest) (1817-1908):
Henner (Jean-Jacques) (1829-1905):
Martin, Henri (1860-1943); see neo-impressionists.
Morot, Aimé-Nicolas (1850-1913)
Roll, Alfred-Philippe (1846-1919); see para-impressionists.
Vollon, Antoine (1833 – 1900):
Recommanded citation: “Meta-Impressionism: Most highly awarded artists (1855-1900): the ultimate standard of Fine Arts. Last modified 2025/11/02. https://www.impressionism.nl/most-awarded-artists/”
Note: namely info on the period 1889-1900 still has to be added.
Please be reluctant, when you quote from this webpage, which is under construction.
The information is incomplete and maybe partly incorrect.