A painter, draftsman and illustrator, Antoine Daens was born in Brussels in 1871. A pupil at the Brussels Academy, Daens showed precocious talent and was a keen student. Upon graduating he became a professional painter who ultimately specialized in figurative work mostly depicting young girls and women. Rather than stiff portraiture, he preferred to place his subjects within rich interiors giving equal importance to the background as the figure itself.
Daens first major exhibition did not come until 1918 when he was given a one-man show at the prestigious Galerie La Palette in Brussels. His reputation as a painter was now assured and he was to subsequently enjoy a highly successful career. Later in life he turned to teaching and was given the prestigious post of head professor at the Academy of Watermaal-Bosvoorde in Belgium. Antoine Daens died in Elsene in 1946.
Lit; E. Benezit
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P. Piron
