Desire de Keghel was born in Ghent in 1839 into an artistic family. His elder brother, Jules together with several cousins were also to pursue painting as a career. As a young man he studied at the Academy of Ghent, receiving a classic Flemish training concentrating on working in a tight, realist manner. Graduating in 1862, he established a studio in Ghent and commenced his career as a professional artist. He included both still-lifes and figurative pieces in his oeuvre each handled with the same degree of exactitude. In 1877 he exhibited his now famous ‘Azaleas’, a rich floral composition, now housed at the Museum voor Schone Kunsten at Kortrijk in Belgium, to rave reviews. Apart from this painting his work can also be seen at the Museum of Ghent.
Lit; P. Piron
P. Berko
E. Benezit
