Timeline

The Dutch landscape painter Frederik Marinus Kruseman was born into a dynasty of artists and as a young boy he received painting instruction from Johannes Rosenboom. He attended the Haarlem City Drawing School, where he became an apprentice of Jan Reekers, and in 1833 his debut was held at the Exhibition of Living Masters in The Hague.

In 1835 he studied in Hilversum for a year with Jan van Ravenwaai, returning to Haarlem briefly before leaving for Kleve. In the following years he worked closely with Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, who was to have a considerable and lasting influence on both his subject matter and style. Kruseman travelled extensively in northern Europe visiting Belgium, Germany and France, finally settling in Brussels in 1845. Between 1852 and 1856, Kruseman lived once again in the environs of Haarlem, but he returned to Brussels in 1882 where he remained for the rest of his life. During his life time Kruseman remained relatively obscure but it seems he exhibited in Amsterdam and The Hague between 1833 and 1856.

The work of Kruseman is represented in several museums including the Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem; the Stedelijke Musea Kortrijk, Coutrai, Belgium; the Museum der Bildenden Künste, Leipzig; and the Hamburger Kunsthalle, Germany.