Alexandre Cabanel was born at Montpellier, France. His skill in painting was apparently evident by the age of 11. His father could not afford his training, but in 1839 his department gave him a grant to go to Paris. This enabled him to register at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts the following October as a pupil of Francois-Edouard Picot. His paintings soon attracted attention, and by his Birth of Venus (1863), he became famous, being elected that year to the Institute. He became the most popular portrait painter of the day.Cabanel was a successful academic painter, his 1863 painting Birth of Venus is one of the best known examples of 19th century academic painting