Joseph Dierickx

Joseph Dierickx was a sculptor and painter. He studied in Brussels at the Academy of Fine Arts and mainly painted historical scenes, genre paintings, landscapes, and also portraits and murals. In the late 1880s, he went on a study trip to Italy. He then taught in Brussels at the Collège St-Michel and at the École des arts industriels et décoratifs d’Ixelles. Later, he was appointed inspector of the Brabant academies and art schools, and was dean of the Center d’Art in Uccle. Around the turn of the century he dealt with sometimes bizarre mechanical constructions, some of which were patented. His brother Omer was also a well-known painter.

The 92.4 x 115.6 cm oil painting “Le Lavoir au gymnase” was created in 1884. The picture has changed hands several times in recent decades, most recently in 2017.