Eugene de Blaas (Austrian, 1843-1932)

Eugene de Blaas was born into a family of accomplished artists. His father Karl von Blaas, a portrait, history and fresco painter as well as a sculptor, was a professor at the Vienna Academy of Fine Art followed by the Venice Academy of Fine Art. Eugene's brother Julius was a painter of battle scenes and animals as well as an established watercolourist, who later on became a professor at the Academy in Rome. The family, originally from Austria, relocated initially to Rome, where Eugene and Julius were born, followed by Venice due to Karl's posting at the Academy. Eugene then attended the Academy in Rome, where he later became a professor, followed by the Academy in Venice. His art was well received in England, allowing him to exhibit consistently at the Royal Academy, the Grafton Gallery and the New Gallery between 1875 and 1892.