David and Pieter were two of the ten children born to a family of bankers. Beginning at the age of eight, they took drawing lessons from . This was done at the insistence of their mother, who was an amateur artist. They proved to be poor students, however, and were not much more successful at learning the banking trade. Eventually, they chose art over finance and, in 1860, went to Brussels to attend classes at the
Academie voor Kunsten. Two years later, they entered the workshop of the
Orientalist painter
Jean-François Portaels. They shared a studio in
Saint-Josse-ten-Noode and often served as models for each other. A large inheritance from their family enabled them to lead a
Bohemian lifestyle. The critic
Camille Lemonnier praised their work, which led to numerous sales and commissions. In 1880, David won a gold medal at the triennial
Brussels Salon. They began exhibiting more widely, including a large display at the
Exposition Universelle (1889). Pieter did not get married until 1893. Soon after, he suffered a stroke and died the following year, only a month before the birth of his daughter. David was griefstricken. He painted very little and his health also began to decline. He and his wife moved to
Arnhem in 1895, but he missed Brussels. They returned in 1900, and he seemed to improve, but died two years later and was buried next to Pieter. They both signed their works with their surname only, so determining who painted which canvas is often difficult. Generally, David painted faster, and was more impulsive; whereas Pieter paid close attention to composition. Major retrospectives of their work were held at the
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag in 2008, and at the
Charlier Museum in Brussels in 2010. ==Selected paintings==