Navez, François-Joseph

(1787-1869)

   François-Joseph Navez was a native of Charleroi, born there on 16 November 1787. He studied at the Académie royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, and, in 1811, he won the award for best painting at the academy's first salon for a composition titled The Oath of Brussels. He went to Paris where he studied in the workshop of Jacques-Louis David and returned to Brussels when the latter artist went into exile in the city. Renowned as one of Belgium's best portrait painters, he studied in Rome, and, on his return, he received many commissions, including a portrait of King William I (1823). Until 1849, he ran a workshop for young artists and he also served on several commissions for art preservation. His repertoire includes numerous portraits, genre scenes, and religious and historical works. His son-in-law was the painter Joseph Portaels. Navez died in Brussels on 11 October 1869. He was made a commander of the Order of Leopold on his death.