Alma-Tadema, Sir Lawrence

Alma-Tadema, Sir Lawrence (b Dronrijp, Friesland, 8 Jan. 1836; d Wiesbaden, 25 June 1912). Dutch-born painter who settled in London in 1870 and became a British citizen in 1873. He trained at the Antwerp Academy under Wappers and de Keyser, then became an assistant to Leys. In spite of this background in the Low Countries, he has come to be regarded as one of the quintessential Victorian artists. He specialized in historical genre scenes, beginning with medieval subjects, but then—following a visit to Pompeii in 1863—turning to the ancient world. His paintings evoke a Hollywood vision of ancient Greece and Rome (and sometimes Egypt), with their sensuous depiction of beautiful women, exotic costumes, and marbled settings—Punch called him a ‘marbellous artist’. Such works were enormously successful and Alma-Tadema had a sumptuous lifestyle in his house in St John's Wood (previously owned by Tissot), which he remodelled as a Roman villa. He was knighted in 1899 and received the Order of Merit in 1905. His success encouraged several imitators, including his wife Laura (1852–1909), his daughter (by a previous wife) Anna (1865–1943), and painters such as John William Godward (1861–1922) and Edwin Long (1829–91). However, Alma-Tadema's work went completely out of favour after his death, and his reputation did not greatly revive until the 1970s. Now he once again pleases a large public; visitor surveys at the Getty Museum, Los Angeles, have revealed that his Spring (1894) is the most popular work in the collection.