Brief Biography-Hubert Robert, known as Robert des Ruines, was a native of Paris. In 1754, he went to Rome and stayed for eleven years. Giovanni Panini and Giovanni Piranesi had a significant influence on him. In 1761, he travelled to South Italy with Jean-Claude Richard and Jean-Honore Fragonard, who became close friends and collaborators. He painted landscapes with capriccio images of ruins.
In Paris, the Académie royale de Peinture et de Sculpture admitted Robert, and he became a keeper of paintings for Louis XVI. In the revolution, Robert became incarcerated but escaped the guillotine when mistakenly another same-named prisoner received his sentence. During his ten months in prison, he painted several works. On his release, he painted many Paris Street scenes and worked on the interiors of many large residences. Robert became a Curator of the Louvre. He died in 1808 in Paris.