The Audubon of botanical art, in a limited-edition portfolio What Audubon was to birds, Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840) was to botanicals. And Audubon was, in fact, an admirer. Artist to Marie-Antoinette and Empress Josephine, Redouté radicalized the botanical painting, drawing as much on science as on art for his exquisite flowers and fruits.