The Glory of Carolus-Duran
As his success grew, Carolus-Duran opened a studio for women and, two years later, a studio for men. He was a much sought-after teacher amongst Americans and Scandinavians, "the ultimate teacher," and on their return home their career was made by the prestigious mention after their name: "pupil of Carolus."
In 1890, together with Puvis de Chavannes and Meissonier, he founded the National Society of Fine Arts (Société nationale des Beaux-Arts), a liberal Salon which welcomed artists who were the precursors of the 20th Century such as the Nabis, Camille Claudel and Henri Matisse. In 1898, he became President of this Society.
By the end of the 19th Century, Carolus-Duran was present in all the artistic institutions of any importance and his work, particularly by way of the exhibitions in which he participated regularly, was widely distributed outside France: London in 1893, New York and Antwerp in 1894, Venice and New York in 1895, Brussels for the World Exhibition in 1897 and Venice the same year, to mention but a few.
In 1904 came the logical pinnacle of his career, and this despite the fact that this self-taught artist had never won the Prix de Rome; he was named Director of the Villa Medici in Rome, a brilliant end to his career, which came to a close when he resigned from there in 1913.
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