French sculptor, who took a prominent place in the history of Russian art. Using some already well-known in France and being a member of the Paris Academy of fine arts, arrived at the invitation of I. I. Shuvalov, in 1758, to St. Petersburg and entered the service under the contract in the newly established Imperial Academy of Arts, Professor of sculpture, for a period of three years, but played the position for twenty years, and thus became the first nesadalen the aforesaid branch of art in Russia. Under his leadership, formed a talented Shubin , Gordeev , Pedos Shchedrin , Architect. Ivanov and in General all Russian sculptors brought up in the Academy from 1758 to 1778, In 1767, he was promoted to associate rectors of the Academy. In 1773, at her own request was dismissed from service in this institution, with a pension of 400 rubles a year, and went home (to Mets); but in 1780, as a result of them mistakenly bankers, pension double for two thirds of the year, further production of it was discontinued, without any fault on his part. From the works of Gillet, performed in France, the famous marble statues: ""Paris, feed a Golden Apple to Venus"" (1757; in the Louvre in Paris) and Hercules holding Evrisfey the erymanthean boar."" the stone group: ""Zephyr and flora"" and ""Vertumnus and Pomona"" (were at the cottage, G. Belmont, Valentine, near Paris) and some others. From his work in Russia survived only portrait bust of I. I. Shuvalov, stored today in the Museum of the Imperial Academy of Arts.
