Eugenio Bosa (1807-1875), son of the Canova-based sculptor Antonio Bosa and Margherita Gamba, was born in Venice and followed in his family's footsteps, initially dedicating himself to sculpture.
At a young age, he attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, exhibiting works and receiving awards for his creative talent. Between 1823 and 1824, Bosa changed direction and approached painting, obtaining recognition for his inventiveness and presenting a work inspired by Cima da Conegliano.
1827 marked a crucial moment in his career: Bosa created forty monumental busts for the park of Villa Sabbatini in Udine, now lost. During this period, he also developed a significant production of engravings, inspired by the painters Tischbein and Bison, representing scenes of Venetian daily life and popular costumes.
His first paintings, outside of academic production, were religious in theme for the monastery of Sant’Anna. In 1835 he exhibited three paintings commissioned by Count Benedetto Valmarana, and the following year he presented “La pescheria” at the Academy of Fine Arts. These paintings reflect his interest in Venetian life and the pictorial rendering of popular costumes.
Among his most famous works is “Estrazione del lotto in piazza San Marco” (1847), commissioned by the entrepreneur Sante Giacomelli and now at the Museo Bailo in Treviso.
After abandoning historical themes, Bosa devoted himself to the popular pictorial genre, becoming one of the main interpreters of Venetian life.
Bosa traveled often in Europe, but remained tied to Venice, where he became a prominent artist. Critics, such as Giorgio Podestà, praised him for his ability to depict scenes of everyday life, recognizing him as one of the main exponents of genre painting. By 1840, his fame was well established, and his works entered important collections, including those of the Marquis Ala Ponzoni and Carlo Fontana.
In the following years, Bosa returned to painting sacred works and in the 1860s collaborated with his brother Francesco, in one of his drawings.
From 1858, he lived in Fondamenta Felzi a Castello, where he had a daughter, Cesarina Eugenia, from his relationship with Enrichetta del Buono. Upon his death in 1875, Cesarina Eugenia was described in the obituary as "the only affection that tied him to life".