Theo van Rysselberghe Biography

Théophile "Théo" van Rysselberghe (1862-1926) was a Belgian neo-impressionist painter who significantly influenced the European art scene at the turn of the twentieth century.

Born in Ghent to a French-speaking bourgeois family, he studied at the Academy of Ghent and the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels under Jean-François Portaels, whose North African paintings inspired van Rysselberghe during his three trips to Morocco between 1882 and 1888.

At eighteen, he participated in the Salon of Ghent, showcasing two portraits. His works evolved from somber realism, exemplified in his Self-Portrait with Pipe (1880), to impressionism, as seen in Child in an Open Spot of the Forest (1880). He travelled to Spain and Morocco in 1882, creating notable portraits like Spanish Woman (1881) and Arabian Boy (1882), and achieved success upon returning to Belgium with his exhibitions.

Van Rysselberghe co-founded the artistic group Les XX in 1883, alongside notable artists like James Ensor and Fernand Khnopff. His involvement connected him with innovative figures, including Whistler and American painters such as John Singer Sargent.

In 1884, he produced his renowned painting Arabian Phantasia, inspired by Delacroix. His later portraits featured subtler colors, and he was deeply influenced by Monet and Renoir after viewing their works in 1886, which prompted him to continue experimenting with his style.

Van Rysselberghe married Marie Monnom in 1889, with whom he had a daughter, Elizabeth van Rysselberghe. Elizabeth became one of Rupert Brooke's lovers. His brother Octave van Rysselberghe (1855-1929) was a distinguished Belgian architect, who collaborated with Joseph Poelaert and Henry Van de Velde.