Meytens began his artistic studies with his father, the painter Martin van Meytens the Senior, who had moved from The Hague to Sweden. He went rather early on a study trip. He visited London, Paris and Vienna, then he lived and worked for a long time in Italy (Rome, Turin). At the beginning he painted little enamel miniature portraits, and he changed to oil painting only around 1730, having settled in Vienna. Here he became very popular as a portrait painter in the circles of the court and the aristocracy. In 1732 be became a court painter, and in 1759 the director of the Viennese Academy of Fine Arts.

Besides representative courtly portraits in French taste, large family portraits and portraits of the dynasty, he was also commissioned with the pictorial representation of historical events and ceremonies. In these monumental paintings with many figures (The Bethotral of Joseph II., The Coronation of the Emperor, etc.) he relied on a large number of assistants. A certain division of labour can be noticed also in his portraits, where the background landscape, battle scene or accessories were often painted by a specialist, an assistant or a pupil.

Meytens also often worked for Hungarian commissions (a Pálffy family portrait, Vienna, Österreichisches Barockmuseum; Dénes Fálffy's portrait, Budapest, Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum). However, some of the Hungarian portraits cited in our sources have not been identified yet.

Meytens was one of the most significant Austrian painters of representative Baroque courtly portrait, and through his pupils and followers his influence remained alive and widespread for a long time throughout the whole Empire. His personal virtues, varied interests, erudition and pleasant manners were highly appreciated by his contemporaries.