'Mother and Child' by Anna E Munch, Mid-Century Danish Woman Impressionist, Paris, Académie Julian, Benezit

Description

Initialed lower right, 'A.E.M' for Anna Elisabeth Munch (Danish, 1876-1960) and painted circa 1940.

This notable Danish Modernist first studied … more Initialed lower right, 'A.E.M' for Anna Elisabeth Munch (Danish, 1876-1960) and painted circa 1940.

This notable Danish Modernist first studied with Karl Jensen (1889) and C. N. Overgaard (1891–1892). She later traveled and studied in Italy and, subsequently, at the Académie Julian under Jean Paul Laurens and Benjamin Constant. After her return to Denmark, Munch became a student of the Impressionist Julius Paulsen (1895-1897) and made her début at the 1898 Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition.

Munch became the first Danish woman to receive commissions for large devotional altarpieces and her early subjects were often derived from Nordic and Christian mythology. These themes were also explored in the large fresco commissions she completed after studying fresco with Joakim Skovgaard (1909-10).

Munch continued her studies in both France and Italy and also traveled extensively to Sweden and Norway. Together with the writer Sophie Breum, Munch built a house on the island of Funen at the artist's colony of Kerteminde. Munch illustrated several of Breum's books and, through her, was introduced to the women's movement. She furthered her art studies with Fritz Syberg and Johannes Larsen, founding members of the Kerteminde's art colony. With this increasing exposure to Modernist art principles, her palette lightened and her brushwork loosened and became more intuitive. Her choice of subjects also broadened to include scenes of nature, often including women and children, painted in a vibrant palette. Over the course of a long and successful career, Anna Munch exhibited widely and was the recipient of numerous medals, prizes and juried awards. She is listed in both Thieme-Becker and Benezit's definitive dictionary of artists.

Reference:
E. Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs, Jacques Busse, 1999 Nouvelle Édition, Gründ 1911, Vol. 10, p. 12; Thieme-Becker Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zu Gengenwart, Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker, Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag 1992, Vol. 25, p. 265; Weilbach, Dansk Kunstnerleksikon, the Castle and Cultural Agency, Copenhagen less