Eugène Joseph Verboeckhoven (Belgian, 1798–1881)

b. 1798 — d. 1881

Sculptor Barthélémy Verboeckhoven (1759-1840) taught his son Eugène drawing and clay modeling before sending him to the Gent Academy from 1816 until 1818. Eugène subsequently studied with landscape painter Balthazar-Paul Ommeganck (1755-1826). Verboeckhoven exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1824 and soon concentrated on landscapes with animals. In 1827 he moved to Brussels and, during a trip to the Netherlands, was much impressed by the work of Paulus Potter (1625-1654). Verboeckhoven was an active figure in the successful struggle for Belgian independence from the Netherlands, which came about in 1830. He became director of the Brussels museums in 1831 and taught at the Royal Academy after 1845. He exhibited one of his most famous and ambitious works at the Brussels Salon of 1836, Hungry Wolves Attacking a Party of Riders (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam). His work shows little evolution, but his paintings were very popular and rather expensive. The artist received several commissions from King Leopold I, such as his equestrian portrait in 1852, and he obtained titles and decorations throughout Europe. He painted a few portraits and made prints and drawings. Verboeckhoven had a brother, Louis-Charles (1802-1880), who painted marines.