David Joseph Bles

Place: The Hague

Born: 1821

Death: 1899

Biography:

David Bles was born in The Hague as the son of the merchant Joseph Bles. His talent took him to the drawing academy, after which he became a pupil of the painter Cornelis Kruseman and his nephew Jan Adam Kruseman. Bles then travelled to France to study with Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury in Paris. He remained in Paris until 1843 after which he settled in The Hague, though he was a member of the Royal Academy in Amsterdam between 1845 and 1899. In 1850-60, his paintings were exhibited in various European countries. In 1859, he was elected an honorary associate of the Imperial Academy of Arts. He painted scenes from the history of Dutch painting and is best known for portraits and genre paintings.