Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (1824-1898) was a towering figure in late-19th-century France. Arguably the country's greatest public painter, he created murals that decorated museums in Amiens, Rouen and Lyons as well as major buildings in Paris - most notably the Pantheon, the Sorbonne and the city hall. Critics from the political right, left and centre, the avant-garde, the Academy, and the state all agreed on the importance of Puvis's murals. Avant-garde artists greatly admired and drew from his work. There was much controversy, however, over the meaning of these murals.