Karel Beschey
Flemish, 1706-1770
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Carel Beschey or Karel Beschey was a Flemish painter and draughtsman who mainly painted landscapes that were in the style of, or inspired by, the Flemish masters of the previous century and in particular Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568 – 1625).
Carel Beschey was born in Antwerp the son of Jacob Beschey and Maria-Theresia Huaert. Carel had three brothers who all became painters. The best known was Balthasar who was a landscape, history and portrait painter. His younger brothers were Jacob Andries, a history painter, and Jan Frans, a copyist and art dealer. Jan Frans was for a while resident as a painter and art dealer in London.
Carel Beschey was a pupil of Hendrick Govaerts. In 1727 he won the first prize in the life drawing competition of the Academy of Arts in Antwerp. Like his brother Balthasar, he became a director of the Academy of Arts of Antwerp.
Thanks to the connections of his younger brother Balthasar who was also an art dealer and portrait painter, Carel Beschey was able to find patrons and buyers for his paintings. At his brother's house, art lovers regularly met up to study the work of the great Dutch and Flemish masters.
It is not known when or where Carel Beschey died but it is assumed he died in Antwerp c. 1770.