1821 – 1909
Henriëtte Ronner-Knip was a famous artist who specialized in animal paintings, particularly cats and was known for her Romantic style. She was born into a family of artists in Amsterdam and received her initial lessons from her father, Josephus Augustus Knip.
Because of constant moving and family health issues, Henriëtte was responsible for the family's finances and legal obligations. She started painting seriously in 1835. In 1838, she participated in the Exhibition of Living Masters.
She married Feico Ronner (1819-1883), and the couple moved to Brussels. As her husband was frequently ill and unable to work regularly, he became her manager. After 1870, she painted her most famous works, featuring long-haired, often playful cats in affluent settings. In 1893, she exhibited her work at the Palace of Fine Arts at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.
In her later years, Henriëtte had a large garden where she kept hunting dogs, cats, and a parrot, which she used as models. She would observe them in her studio and create paper sculptures in the desired poses, which she would then set up with props such as furniture and fabrics.
She received the Order of Leopold in 1887 and the Order of Orange-Nassau in 1901. Her son Alfred and daughters Alice and Emma also became artists, and she often exhibited with them. Henriëtte Ronner-Knip died on February 28, 1909, in Ixelles.
The Globetrotters
The Proud Mother
Mother’s Pride (1901)
Mother’s pride
Two friends
Kittens At Play
Cat spies on birds near a sleeping dog (1831 - 1909)
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