Jacques de Lalaing (Belgian, 1858–1917)
Jacques de Lalaing
Belgian, 1858–1917
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Jacques de Lalaing was an Anglo-Belgian painter and sculptor, specializing in animals.
Jacques was born in London in one of the oldest noble families of Belgium. He was the son of Count Maximilien IV de Lalaing (1811–1881). His brother was Charles Maximilien de Lalaing (1857–1919), who was an important diplomat.
Lalaing was raised in England until 1875, when he moved to Brussels. He trained as an artist under Jean-François Portaels and Louis Gallait at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, showing first as a painter with the group L'Essor.
With the encouragement of Thomas Vinçotte and Jef Lambeaux, Lalaing began to sculpt in 1884. As a painter he continued to work in a realistic, naturalistic style, as a portrait painter and producing historical scenes. As a sculptor he produced allegorical bronzes and memorial art. Along with his fellow animalier sculptors Léon Mignon (1847–1898) and Antoine-Félix Bouré (1831–1883), Lalaing established a distinctively Belgian tradition of animal art, to which the flourishing Antwerp Zoo contributed inspiration.
In 1896 Lalaing became a member of the Royal Academy where he had studied, and from 1904 through 1913 he served as its director. His works are represented in the collections of museums in Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Ghent and Tournai.