Thérèse Schwartze

After her training in her father’s studio and art education in Munich and Paris she grew into a talented portrait painter, draughtswoman and printmaker. Schwartze was just 23 when her father died at an early age, and she became the breadwinner of the family. With a powerful style characterised by rapid brushstrokes and large zones of colour, her portraits were characterful, but nonetheless flattering. Schwartze’s work caught on, and her fame grew in the Netherlands and abroad. Around 1900 she was the most successful portraitist in the Netherlands, with customers including members of the Dutch royal family. She worked at great speed, and over the course of her career she made hundreds of pastel and oil paint portraits. Works by Schwartze in the Rijksmuseum collection include several portraits of fellow artists.