LESSER URY German, 1861-1931

Lesser Ury was a German-Jewish painter best known for his Impressionistic depictions of city life. Ury’s most acclaimed pieces are of lamp-lit cafes at night, rendered in lively brushstrokes and impasto paint. Born on November 7, 1861 in Birnbaum, Poland (formerly Prussia), he went on to study at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, and spent time in Paris, Brussels, Munich, Stuttgart, and Karlsruhe. During his travels, he painted his first city scenes, interiors, and floral still lifes, establishing himself as an artist with an eye for carefully observed detail. Devoted to Judaism, over the course of his career he would return to religious historical and allegorical subjects, notably painting Moses several times. Today, Ury’s works are held in the collections of the Alte Naionalgalerie in Berlin, the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., and the Jewish Museum in New York, among others. He died on October 18, 1931 in Berlin, Germany.