Adolf Alexander Dillens

ADOLF ALEXANDER DILLENS (Ghent, 1821- Brussels, 1877).
"Portrait of Therese Legros", 1872.
Oil on panel.
Presents label on the back.
Signed and dated in the upper left corner.
Measurements. 22,5 x 18 cm.
Adolphe-Alexandre Dillens was a Flemish painter, watercolorist, draftsman and engraver. He was born into a family of artists, and received his first teachings from his brother Hendrick Joseph Dillens, nine years older than him, before continuing his training at the Academy of Ghent. In 1844 both brothers settled in Antwerp. Adolphe devoted himself to painting and engraving, cultivating mainly genre scenes, landscapes, historical compositions, popular festivals, fairs, scenes of skaters and some portraits.
In 1850 he moved to Brussels and, four years later, traveled for the first time to Zeeland. From then on he produced a large number of works reflecting the daily life of that region, which became one of his most characteristic themes. Towards the end of his life he turned to painting historical and military scenes linked to the Flemish past.
His production is preserved today in important institutions such as the Museum of Ixelles, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent and the Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp.