Details

Name

Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Brief Biography

1836 - 1912, English

Occupation

Artist

Description

Alma-Tadema showed his artistic ability from an early age and also the beginnings of his methodical nature: in 1851 he started assigning opus numbers to his paintings corresponding with the chronological order of their production; his last work was Opus CCCCVIII. He studied at the Antwerp Academy and then became an assistant to the history painter, Baron Hendryk Leys. From Leys and also the archaeologist, Louis de Taye, Alma-Tadema began to develop his interest in and knowledge of archaeology and history.

His early works included subjects from Merovingian history but after a visit to Italy in 1863, Alma-Tadema turned his attention to ancient Greece and Rome and to a lesser extent to ancient Egypt. Following the success of his exhibits at the Royal Academy in 1869, Alma-Tadema moved his base to London. Steadily he achieved fame and wealth: he became an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1876 and a full Royal Academician in 1879. In 1882 the Grosvenor Gallery mounted an exhibition of 287 of his paintings. He moved to a more spectacular house in St John’s Wood which had once been the home of the French artist, Jean-Jacques Tissot. Soon it became a popular venue for gatherings of artists, and his many distinguished guests included Tchaikovsky and Enrico Caruso.

Though he was never honoured in his native Holland, Alma-Tadema was hugely popular almost everywhere else, from the United States to Australia. He received many awards and honorary titles; the final accolades in Britain were his knighthood in 1899 and the rarely awarded Order of Merit in 1905. His clients included members of the British Royal Family and Russian Imperial Family, and his pictures found their way into important private collections as far afield as India and New Zealand. He was buried in St Paul’s Cathedral, London.