Fanny Laurent Fleury was born in Paris in 1848. Fleury’s academic credentials are impeccable. She studied under Jean-Jacques Henner (1829-1905) and was later accepted to the
She was highly regarded by her peers, in fact speaking of her work at the 1884 Salon, one critic said Fleury had, 'equaled her masters', (Henner and Duran). Fluery was elected an Officer of the Academie and an associate of the Société des artistes français and showed at the Salon from 1869 to 1882, a lengthy time achievement for a female artist, only to be surpassed by Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899). She exhibited mostly portraits, but she was also a painter of genre scenes, local scenes and still lifes.
She received an honourable mention at the Salon de l'union artistique de Toulouse in 1885 and won her first medal at the Salon d'Évreux in 1886 alongside Jenny Villebessey. She received an honourable mention at the Exposition Universelle of 1889. She was a member of the Union of Women Painters and Sculptors. She also exhibited at the Saint-Étienne, Dijon and Ghent salons. Le Monde illustré judged Coquetterie (below) which was exhibited at the 1883 Salon, as follows:
"If feminine taste dominates in the work through the simplicity of the composition and the harmony of the colours, the artist has nevertheless displayed male qualities, great correctness of drawing, great firmness of touch and great power of colour". (5 April 1884)
In 1893, the organisers of the Chicago World's Fair set up a pavilion dedicated to women. The Woman's Building incorporated around a hundred female artists from all over the world, including thirty French painters, one of them was Fanny Fleury.
It is well noted that Fanny Fleury has been underated through time.
