Frank Mura
Encyclopedia
Frank Mura was a French-born American painter and water colourist who also worked in charcoal and pencil. His work includes landscapes, buildings, marine settings, human subjects and animals. He was noted for his charcoal painting technique.
in 1861, Mura's family settled in New York City
when he was a child and he became a naturalised American. The family home was in Manhattan
and his father's occupation was listed in the census as a feather dealer. He returned to Europe in 1881 and studied in Munich
.
During this period, some of his paintings were purchased by a wealthy New York collector, Ichabod T. Williams
, which enabled him to pay an overdue account with his landlady and continue with his studies, his father having ceased his allowance. He also studied in Holland.
Mura settled in London
in 1891 and married the German-born painter Charlotte Poehlmann on 4 April 1894 in Hampstead
. They lived at Mill End studio, Little Easton
, Dunmow, and had one daughter, Margaret Mura, born c.1902. He remained in London until 1915, painting and teaching. He contributed work to The Dome
and exhibited at the Goupil Gallery
and the Obach and Co. Gallery. His Landscape with Sheep was exhibited at the Royal Academy
in 1904. His work was exhibited at the Louisiana Purchase Expo St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 and received the highest award for charcoal painting. In 1907 the Obach Gallery exhibited a collection of his pictures and charcoal drawings. A review in The Studio commented: "Mr. Mura successfully imparts the true feeling for English landscape in a style which has benefited much from the study of the Barbizon and Dutch masters." An essay on his work by A. L. Baldry was published in The Studio in London in 1913.
Mura then settled in Brooklyn
, New York, where he made his name in American artistic circles. He exhibited 11 charcoal drawings at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915 which won a Medal of Honour. During the 1920s and 30s, he was a guide and instructor at the Brooklyn Museum
, directing a Saturday class for talented high school students. The museum holds a collection of his pencil drawings from 1919 onwards. Two of his English landscape paintings, Upton Lane, Sompting and The Adur, near Shoreham, are held in the University of Michigan Museum of Art
.
Life and works
Born in AlsaceAlsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
in 1861, Mura's family settled in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
when he was a child and he became a naturalised American. The family home was in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and his father's occupation was listed in the census as a feather dealer. He returned to Europe in 1881 and studied in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
During this period, some of his paintings were purchased by a wealthy New York collector, Ichabod T. Williams
Ichabod T. Williams
Ichabod T. Williams was a prominent American businessman and art collector.- Life and works :Ichabod T. Williams was born in New York City. He became an officer in the 27th Regiment, which was the predecessor of the famous 7th Regiment, New York National Guard, and took part in the famous Astor...
, which enabled him to pay an overdue account with his landlady and continue with his studies, his father having ceased his allowance. He also studied in Holland.
Mura settled in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1891 and married the German-born painter Charlotte Poehlmann on 4 April 1894 in Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
. They lived at Mill End studio, Little Easton
Little Easton
Little Easton is a small village in Essex, England, which dates from the 12th century. The village has a population of just a few hundred people, one pub, "The Stag", and one church...
, Dunmow, and had one daughter, Margaret Mura, born c.1902. He remained in London until 1915, painting and teaching. He contributed work to The Dome
The Dome (periodical)
The Dome published in London at 7 Cecil Court by the Unicorn Press and subtitled consecutively "A Quarterly Containing Examples of the Arts" and "An Illustrated Monthly Magazine and Review" was a literary periodical associated with the "Nineties" scene, edited by Ernest J. Oldmeadow. It ran for...
and exhibited at the Goupil Gallery
Goupil & Cie
Goupil & Cie was a leading art dealership in 19th century France, with headquarters in Paris. Step by step, Goupil established a worldwide trade with reproductions of paintings and sculptures, with a network of branches in London, Brussels, The Hague, Berlin and Vienna, as well as in New York and...
and the Obach and Co. Gallery. His Landscape with Sheep was exhibited at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
in 1904. His work was exhibited at the Louisiana Purchase Expo St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 and received the highest award for charcoal painting. In 1907 the Obach Gallery exhibited a collection of his pictures and charcoal drawings. A review in The Studio commented: "Mr. Mura successfully imparts the true feeling for English landscape in a style which has benefited much from the study of the Barbizon and Dutch masters." An essay on his work by A. L. Baldry was published in The Studio in London in 1913.
Mura then settled in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York, where he made his name in American artistic circles. He exhibited 11 charcoal drawings at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915 which won a Medal of Honour. During the 1920s and 30s, he was a guide and instructor at the Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an encyclopedia art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At 560,000 square feet, the museum holds New York City's second largest art collection with roughly 1.5 million works....
, directing a Saturday class for talented high school students. The museum holds a collection of his pencil drawings from 1919 onwards. Two of his English landscape paintings, Upton Lane, Sompting and The Adur, near Shoreham, are held in the University of Michigan Museum of Art
University of Michigan Museum of Art
The University of Michigan Museum of Art, or UMMA in Ann Arbor, Michigan with is one of the largest university art museums in the USA. Built as a war memorial in 1909 for the university's fallen alumni from the Civil War, Alumni Memorial Hall originally housed U-M's Alumni office along with the...
.
External links
- Rootsweb: Frank Mura http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=robtbehra&id=I126823
- AskArt: Frank Mura http://www.askart.com/askart/m/frank_mura/frank_mura.aspx
- Artnet: Frank Mura http://www.artnet.com/artist/655954/frank-mura.html
- University of Michigan Museum of Art: Frank Mura http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?q1=Frank+Mura&c=musart&view=thumbnail&type=boolean