Gustave Achille Guillaumet

Guillaumet studied under masters such as François-Edouard Picot and Félix-Joseph Barrias, and later Alexandre Abel de Pujol at the École des Beaux-Arts.¹

After failing to win the Prix de Rome in 1861, Guillaumet made the pivotal decision to travel to Algeria instead of Italy.¹

During his first trip to Algeria, he contracted malaria and spent three months in a military hospital in Biskra, an experience that influenced his perspective.¹

He visited Algeria ten times between 1861 and 1867, focusing his work on the lives of people in the southern desert regions.¹

In his masterpiece 'The Sahara', he depicted a camel carcass in the foreground, creating a stark contrast between life and death in the desert.¹

In 1878, he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour, the highest French decoration, solidifying his status as a leading Orientalist painter.¹

On his deathbed, he requested to be taken to his studio to look at his Oriental sketches one last time before passing away.¹

The New York Times reported a scandalous theory that he shot himself following an argument with his mistress, leading to his death.¹

The posthumously published 'Tableaux Algériens' is a comprehensive collection of his sketches and etchings documenting North African life.¹