From 1881 to 1884, he studied at the municipal painting school, under the direction of Christian Griepenkerl. He then transferred to the Academy of Fine Arts where, from 1884 to 1885, he attended the "Special School for History Painting", studying with Leopold Carl Müller.
Beginning in 1886, he took several study trips to the Balkans and, thanks to financial support from Archduke Franz Ferdinand, he was able to make several trips to Egypt after 1892. His first successful exhibition took place in Cairo.
Most of his portraits are of the common people of Egypt, although he also painted some notable figures. The majority of his works are in private collections.
