In addition to being the most significant Croatian painter active during the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, he was also one of the most prolific, with an oeuvre of around one thousand works. After he started painting as an amateur in the USA, he enrolled in painting studies in Paris and soon opened a painting studio, where he established himself as a prominent portraitist.

He moved to Zagreb in 1893 and, commissioned by Isidor Kršnjavi, the head of the Department of Religion and Education, painted the large composition “Croatian National Revival” for the newly built Croatian National Theatre. Bukovac was actively involved in the development of the artistic scene of Zagreb. It was thanks to him that the Art Pavilion was built and a number of cultural projects were launched.

He lived briefly in Cavtat and Vienna, and then in Prague, after being appointed professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in 1903. While still a student, he was admitted to the Paris Salon, where he exhibited continuously from 1878 to 1893. Bukovac exhibited in many European metropolises, and is responsible for the affirmation of Croatian art abroad. He mostly painted portraits, nudes, landscapes, and large figural compositions in the Realist and Impressionist styles.