Rediscovering Swedish painter Julia Beck in Paris
Julia Beck (1853–1935) was a Swedish painter who moved to Paris after studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm. In Paris she enrolled at Académie Julian, one of the few art schools accepting women. She exhibited at the Salon de l'Union des femmes peintres et sculpteurs and received portrait commissions. Influenced by Impressionism, she painted en plein air in Grez-sur-Loing, focusing on landscapes with water lilies and light effects, rarely including figures. She settled in Vaucresson and died in France, leading to her near-oblivion in Sweden. The first solo exhibition of her work was at Zornmuseet in Mora in 2012, later at Sven-Harrys Konstmuseum in Stockholm in 2013. Her works are now in the Nationalmuseum collection.
Key facts
- Julia Beck was born in Stockholm in the mid-19th century and died in 1935.
- Her parents ran a bookbinding business; she learned calligraphy and lettering.
- She completed a five-year course at Konstakademien (Swedish Royal Academy of Fine Arts).
- She studied at Académie Julian in Paris, which accepted women.
- She exhibited at the Salon de l'Union des femmes peintres et sculpteurs.
- She painted en plein air in Grez-sur-Loing, influenced by Impressionists.
- Her landscapes often depicted water lilies and aquatic plants, rarely people.
- First solo exhibition was at Zornmuseet in Mora in 2012, then at Sven-Harrys Konstmuseum in 2013.
- Her works are held by Nationalmuseum in Stockholm.
Entities
Artists
- Julia Beck
- Claude Monet
Institutions
- Konstakademien (Swedish Royal Academy of Fine Arts)
- Académie Julian
- Salon de l'Union des femmes peintres et sculpteurs
- Zornmuseet
- Sven-Harrys Konstmuseum
- Nationalmuseum
Locations
- Stockholm
- Sweden
- Paris
- France
- Grez-sur-Loing
- Vaucresson
- Mora