Otto Von Thoren exhibited his work at the salons in Brussels and Paris, in 1857, and 1864 respectively, and also in Munich. He was awarded various honours, including the order of Vladimir and the order of Franz Josef, and he became a member of the academies of Amsterdam, in 1865, Vienna, in 1868, and St Petersburg, in 1870. In the mid 1860s he was summoned to Vienna to paint an equestrian portrait of the Emperor Franz Josef, but he is best-known for his paintings of livestock in rugged landscape settings.