Franz Courtens

Baron Franciscus Eduardus Maria (Franz) Courtens (1854–1943)^[1] was a Belgian painter.^[2]

Franz Courtens
Statue in Dendermonde by his son Alfred Courtens, presented in 1950 in presence of Queen Elisabeth
Born	Franciscus Eduardus Maria (Franz) Courtens ca. 1854
Died	ca. 1943
Education	Dendermonde School
Occupation	Painter

He was a leading figure in the Dendermonde School, famous for his paintings of nature and landscapes. An essay on him by Fernand Khnopff was published in The International Studio 34 (1908).^[3] Courtens was professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (NHISKA) in Antwerp from 1904 till 1924.

He was a personal friend of Leopold II, who gave him the privilege of free access to the royal Parc of Laeken.^[4] Some of his paintings remain in the Royal collection.^[5]

Family

Since 1922, the family belongs to the Belgian nobility.

Baron Franz Courtens:
painter, member of Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium, 1904.

• • Baron Hermann Courtens, (1884-1956): painter
    • Baron Pierre Courtens, (1921-2004): artist
    • Jacques Courtens, (1926-1988): painter
  • Alfred Courtens, (1889-1967): sculptor
  • Antoine Courtens, (1899-1969): architect, studied with Baron Victor Horta,

• 
  Thaw in Dendermonde (Le dégel à Termonde), 1879, oil on canvas, 166 × 231 cm
• 
  Herd in Kempen (Troupeau en Campine), oil on canvas, 80 x 60 cm
• 
  The wave (La vague), ca. 1926, oil on canvas, 51 × 85 cm
• 
  Lake of Bourget (Lac du Bourget), 1926, oil on canvas, 110 x 190 cm
• 
  Shrimp fisherman on mule, NAVIGO National Fisheries Museum
• 
  Resting in the dune (Le repos dans la dune), last painting from the artist 1935, oil on canvas, 75 × 110 cm

Honours

• 1922: created Baron Courtens by Royal order.
• Grand Officer in the Order of the Crown.
• Member of the Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium.