Born in St. Quentin, France. Studied under painter Jacques-Louis David; later studied at the Academy of Saint Luke in Rome. Exhibited regularly at París salons, 1810-1867. Received a gold medal and was appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honor, 1831. Traveled to Mexico on business, continued to paint. First exhibited at the Academy of San Carlos, c. 1850. Second exhibition of forty painings depicting Mexican customs and landscape was well received, 1852. Later expelled from Mexico for interfering in national politics. Edouard Pingret is best known in Mexico for his paintings created during his travels, which document local customs and geography. Perhaps initially attracted to Mexico because of his interest in the exotic, Pingret was among the first artists who painted scenes of Mexico as they actually appeared. Through his example he encouraged his contemporaries to appreciate the beauty and color of the Mexican landscape.
