Ignace Brice at first studied under his father, Antoine Brice, and at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts, where he was strongly influenced by Jacques-Louis David, then in exile in Brussels – Ignace became known as "le David bruxellois". He followed his father as a professor at the Academy, and exhibited in Brussels in 1815, 1824, 1827, 1830 and 1833. He also exhibited in Ghent, Antwerp and Amsterdam, and was one of the founders of the Société des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles.
He was a genre painter and portraitist, and had a great talent for drawing. His style was sober and classical and, besides David's influence, he reminds the viewer of the Port-Royal painters of the 17th century such as Philippe de Champaigne.
Hortense Poelaert (1815-1900), sister of the architect Joseph Poelaert and wife of Eugène van Dievoet (1804-1858), oil painting by Ignace Brice, 1840. (71 cm x 85 cm)
(in French) Paul De Zuttere, "Les Brice, peintres à Bruxelles aux XVIIIe et XIXe siècles", in L'Intermédiaire des Généalogistes, Bruxelles, n° 190, 1977, pp. 258–265.
(in French) Paul De Zuttere, "Contribution à l'œuvre des peintres Antoine et Ignace Brice", in L'Intermédiaire des Généalogistes, Bruxelles, n° 345, 2003, p. 113–121.
(in French)Messager des sciences historiques, Société royale des beaux-arts et de littérature de Gand, Société royale d'agriculture et de botanique de Gand. Published by P.F. de Goesin-Verhaeghe, 1879: page 469, "Ignace Brice (fils de maître)".