VOLTAIRE

(1694-1778)

 

This reproduction in resin of a bust of Voltaire is inspired by the Houdon statue exhibited in the Comédie Française Theatre in Paris.
Voltaire (François Marie Arouet) was born in Paris in 1694. His irreverent verses, mainly targeting the Regent, forced him to leave Paris and spend several periods in the French provinces and eventually landed him in the Bastille. It is while in this renowned prison that he began his oedipus tragedy. After being imprisoned for a second term in the Bastille, Voltaire only regains his freedom by agreeing to a three year exile to England (1726-1729). During this exile, Voltaire’s thoughts and works are definitively influenced by the philosophy of the Réformists.
In 1778, he was received by the Academie Française and at the Comédie Française Theatre where his bust was crowned during the first presentation of his last tragic work.