Pierre Van Huffel (1769 - 1844)

Pierre Van Huffel

Pieter Van Huffel was a Belgian portrait and history painter and industrialist. He received his first drawing training from his uncle Pierre Canivé, a painter and restorer in his hometown. Courses at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent followed. Here he already won first prizes in 1786 and 1788. After his student years Pieter Van Huffel settled in Ghent. In 1796 he was first represented at the Ghent Salon with two religious works. After that he regularly exhibited there until 1832. In 1805 he was appointed artistic director and in 1814 professor at the Academy in Ghent. In 1811 he was appointed permanent president of the Société des Arts in Ghent, which he had founded with other artists in 1808. Pieter Van Huffel's oeuvre consisted mainly of portraits and historical motifs; he also produced several Christian religious works for various churches in Ghent.