Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp)
He received his artistic training at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp), where he studied under Nicaise de Keyser. In 1885, he became a teacher at the Academy. Six years later, he was a founding member of the secessionist group "De XIII" and was also active in "Weest U Zelve" (roughly, "Be Yourself"), a group devoted to promoting Flemish art.