Born in
Cologne, he was sent by his family to Paris, and after travelling in Italy returned to France and made his first appearance at the
Salon in 1824; his reputation, however, was not established until three years later, when he exhibited
Tasso at the Convent of
Saint Onophrius. Endowed with a vigorous original talent, and with a vivid imagination, especially for the tragic incidents of history, he soon rose to fame, and in 1850 succeeded
François Granet as member of the
Académie des Beaux-Arts. In 1855, he was appointed professor and in 1863 director of the
École des Beaux-Arts, and in the following year he went to
Rome as director of the
French Academy in that city. His son,
Tony Robert-Fleury, was also a painter. == Honours ==