Lesser Ury

Sale: Christie's London, 30 June 2000, lot 42
Collection of Simone and Jean Tiroche (acquired at the above sale)
Thence by descent
Sale: Christie's London, Impressionist and Modern Art works on paper, 19 June 2013, lot 199
Private collection, UK (acquired from the above sale)

Dr Sibylle Gross has confirmed the authenticity of this work.

Lesser Ury, a German-Jewish Impressionist painter, was born in Birnbaum, Poland in 1861. Following the death of his father in 1972, his family moved to Berlin and Ury went on to study painting at the Kunstakademie, Düsseldorf. Ury’s early travels between cities such as Paris, Berlin, Stuttgart and Münich gave him the opportunity to observe and capture city scenes and nightlife; he was soon able to establish himself as an artist with an eye for detail.

Despite his first exhibition in 1889 receiving a hostile reception, his work was championed by German Realist, Adolph von Menzel. A notable exhibition with the Berlin Secession in 1922 led to major recognition for the artist and created a high demand for his depictions of street scenes, still lifes and interiors. His mastery with pastels enabled him to capture air and light reflections in great detail, as portrayed in Auf dem Kanal.