Angelica Kauffmann (Maria Anna Angelika)

Style: Neo-Classicism;

Born: 1741

Death: 1807

Biography:

Angelica Kauffmann, also known as Maria Anna Angelika Kauffmann, was a Swiss Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Born on October 30, 1741, in Chur, Switzerland, she is remembered primarily as a history painter, but was also a skilled portraitist, landscape, and decoration painter.

Early Life and Training

Kauffman's family moved to Morbegno in 1742, then Como in Lombardy in 1752, where her father, Joseph Johann Kauffmann, worked as a muralist and painter. She acquired four languages from her mother, Cleophea Lutz: German, Italian, French, and English. Kauffman was a child prodigy and rapidly became known as a painter, with bishops and nobles sitting for her. By the age of 12, she had already become known as a painter.

Career

In 1765, Kauffman's work appeared in England in an exhibition of the Free Society of Artists. She moved to England shortly after and established herself as a leading artist. One of her first pieces was a portrait of David Garrick, exhibited at "Mr Moreing's great room in Maiden Lane." Her firmest friend was Sir Joshua Reynolds, who painted her in 1766. Kauffman returned the compliment with her Portrait of Sir Joshua Reynolds. For more information on Sir Joshua Reynolds, visit Wikioo.org. Kauffman was one of two female founding members of the Royal Academy in London in 1768. Her work can be found in various museums, including the British Museum, which has an extensive collection of her paintings. To learn more about the British Museum, visit Wikioo.org.

Notable Works

Some of Kauffman's notable works include:

• The Child Pyrrhos imploring King Glaucus for Asylum, which can be found at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, Hungary.
• Portrait of the Impromptu Virtuoso Teresa Bandettini-Landucci of Lucca, which is housed at the Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf, Germany.
• Hebe, an etching that can be found at Te Papa in Wellington, New Zealand.

For more information on Angelica Kauffmann's paintings, visit Wikioo.org. To learn more about Neoclassical painting, visit Wikipedia. Neoclassicism was a movement in Western decorative and visual arts that drew inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome. Kauffman's work is characterized by her use of classical themes and motifs, which were popular during the Neoclassical period. Kauffman died on November 5, 1807, but her legacy lives on through her paintings, which continue to be admired and studied by art lovers around the world. Her work can be found in various museums and collections, including the Wikioo.org collection.