Leo Lesser Ury

Born. 07.11.1861 in Miedzychod, Poland
Died. 18.10.1931 in Berlin

German artist, Impressionist

About the artist

Leo Lesser Ury was born on November 7, 1861, in Birnbaum, in what was then known as Prussia. His father died when he was 11 years old and as a result, the family moved to Berlin.  After finishing school, He started an apprenticeship to be a tradesman a position that he was not happy with.

In 1879 he decided to study painting and went to Düsseldorf to study at the Kunstakademie, returning to Berlin in 1887.

His first exhibition was held in 1889 and was not well received, although he received a prize from the academy that was heavily influenced by Adolph von Menzel who supported him.

He exhibited with the Berlin Secession, in 1915 and in 1922 the latter was a major exhibition for him. Ury’s reputation had grown and his paintings and pastels were in demand.

Ury is especially noted for his paintings of nocturnal cafe scenes and rainy streets. Unfortunately, he would often make inferior copies to sell them quickly, a situation which harmed his reputation as an artist.  The originals, which were of excellent quality, he kept for himself.

Ury stayed away from the public eye as he got older and became more of a recluse. He died in Berlin on October 18, 1931.