Lawrence Alma-Tadema was born in Dronrip in the Friesland. He enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp from 1852-56 where his subjects were mostly historical. In 1857 he spent a year living with Professor of Archeology Louis de Taye where he was encouraged to depict historic accuracy in his paintings, a trait the for which the artist became known. In 1861 Alma-Tadema was elected a member of the Academy in Antwerp and in 1864 won a gold medal at the Paris Salon for Pastimes in Egypt.
Alma-Tadema married Marie Pauline Gressman in 1863 and the couple visited Florence, Pompeii, Naples, and Rome for their honeymoon. Here he was impressed with the Roman ruins, particularly those of Pompeii. In 1864 Alma-Tadema met London art dealer Ernest Gambart, beginning a long association between the two men. Gambart commissioned the artist for twenty-four paintings which he then sold at his London gallery. In 1865, Alma-Tadema relocated to Brussels where he was named a knight of the Order of Leopold I. He moved to London in 1869 and was naturalized three years later. His wife died the same year and in 1871 he married one of his students, Laura Epps.
Alma-Tadema exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1869 and was made ARA in 1876 and RA in 1879. He was given many honors during his life, in 1899 he was knighted and received the order of Merit in 1905. Lawrence Alma-Tadema died in 1912.
Please check the pics section for a selection of Alma-Tadema's paintings.
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