An art historian and French literary critic, Émile Gebhart held the chair of foreign literature at the University of Nancy, followed by the chair of Southern European literature at the Faculty of Letters in Paris. He was also elected member of the Academy of Moral Sciences and Politics, and several years later became a member of the Académie Française. An eminent specialist in Italian art, he has published several works on Florence and essays on Renaissance Italy, including On Italy, Critical and Historical Essays.