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Ange-Jacques Gabriel
1698-1782
The designer of the Petit Trianon, Ange-Jacques Gabriel embodied the shift from Rococo to a pared-down classicism inspired by antiquity. First architect to the king starting in 1742, he served Louis XV until his retirement in 1775.
Born into a dynasty of architects, he succeeded his father as head of the Bâtiments du roi. His work includes the École militaire (1751-1780), the Place Louis-XV, now known as the Place de la Concorde, and the Opéra royal de Versailles (1769).
In 1751, Louis XV decided to completely rebuild the château de Compiègne. Gabriel drew up the plans and oversaw construction, which was continued after him by his student Louis Le Dreux de La Châtre.
