Born and trained in Montpellier, Vien moved to Paris in 1740 where he quickly achieved success, largely with the support of Natoire and Boucher. Vien won the Grand Prix in 1743 which allowed him to study in Rome until 1750. He entered the Academy in 1754. In 1775, he became director of the French academy in Rome and served as first painter to Louis XVI for less than a year in 1789. In the 1750s, V