Portielje Gérard

Gérard Portielje was a Belgian painter born in Antwerp in 1856 and who died in Remich/Luxembourg in 1929. He was the older brother of Edward Portieltje. He studied from 1875 at the Academy in Antwerp under the supervision of P. Beaufaux and J. Van Lerius. He exhibited regularly from 1875 and soon became very successful. His domestic scenes in the spirit of J.B. Madou easily found sales with the traditionally minded audience. His work is fine and precise. He also worked in the applied arts and designed numerous menus, festive programs, stamps (1897), costumes and posters. He also designed various commercial posters for the printing house Ratinckx. He worked with Fr. Van Cuyck at the Old Antwerp exhibition area. His works can be found, among other places, in the Museum in Antwerp (A Victim, 1894). He is mentioned in BAS I and Two centuries of signatures of Belgian artists. (piron)