Eugene de Blaas (Austrian/Italian, 1843 to 1932)
A noted 19th and 20th century Austrian portraitist and genre painter, Eugene de Blaas was born near Rome on July 24th 1843 into a successful artistic family. His brother Julian von Blaas was an accomplished animal and military painter, and his father Karl von Blaas was a notable history painter and teacher. Because his father was, for a time, employed as a professor of fine arts at the Academy in Venice, de Blaas received his earliest formal artistic instruction in Venice. He also studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, where he later became a highly respected member of the faculty.
Following the completion of his academic training, de Blaas established his studio in Venice. Although he worked and lived in Italy throughout much of his career, de Blaas was also involved in international art circles. He exhibited throughout Italy and Austria as well as Germany. However, his ties to the British art community were among the strongest, and he enjoyed an extremely favorable reputation in England where he exhibited regularly. De Blaas made his debut at the Royal Academy in London in 1875, where he exhibited a charming Italian scene entitled “Fiesta Day” which was also shown at the Royal Academy in Venice. De Blaas continued to exhibit at the London Royal Academy where his picturesque Italian subjects and lovely portraits of beautifully rendered young women earned him considerable recognition. Notable among de Blaas’ Royal Academy works are “Sisters”, “After Church” and The Flirtation” (1888). In addition to his participation in the exhibitions of the Royal Academy, de Blaas also exhibited at many of the most prestigious London galleries including the Fine Arts Society, the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, the New Gallery, and the Arthur Tooth and Sons Gallery. His sensitively painted portraits of beautiful women are highly prized by collectors and his works are included in numerous museum collections in his native Austria and throughout Europe.