Simon Denis

Nationality: Belgian

1755 - 1812

After training in his native city of Antwerp, as well as in Paris in 1775, Denis was encouraged by his patron, painter and dealer Jean-Baptiste Lebrun, to move to Rome in 1786. There he established himself as a painter of landscapes, and he is now recognized as one of the early proponents of open-air sketching. Later in his career, Denis settled in Naples and was the court painter to Joseph Bonaparte from 1806 until his death in 1812.

Place of Birth: Antwerp
Place of Death: Naples

Text written and researched by Michelle Bird National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.