Marie Geoffrin

From 1746 until her death, Marie Geoffrin organized the preeminent salon in Paris for artists and writers. She inherited Madame de Tencin’s salon and changed the tone and topic of discussion; religion and politics were taboo. A devoted supporter and mentor of literary and artistic society, Geoffrin and her soirées facilitated critical cultural movements of eighteenth-century French high society. In addition to the attendance of artists François Boucher, Maurice-Quentin de La Tour, and Jean-Baptiste Greuze, numerous encyclopédistes visited her salon and were given financial support for their project.