Ury was born on November 7, 1861, in Birnbaum[1] in what was then the
Kingdom of Prussia (now
Międzychód in
Poland). He was the son of a baker whose death in 1872 was followed by the family's relocation to
Berlin.[2] In 1878 Ury left school to apprentice with a tradesman, and the next year he went to
Düsseldorf to study painting at the
Kunstakademie. Ury spent time in
Brussels,
Paris,
Munich, and other locations, before returning to Berlin in 1887.[2]
His first exhibition was in 1889 and met with a hostile reception, although he was championed by
Adolph Menzel whose influence induced the Akademie to award Ury a prize. In 1893, he joined the
Munich Secession, one of the several
Secessions formed by progressive artists in Germany and Austria in the last years of the 19th century. In 1901, he returned to Berlin, where he exhibited with the
Berlin Secession, first in 1915 and notably in 1922, when he had a major exhibition. By this time Ury's critical reputation had grown and his paintings and
pastels were in demand. His subjects were landscapes, urban landscapes, and interior scenes, treated in an impressionistic manner that ranged from the subdued tones of figures in a darkened interior to the effects of streetlights at night to the dazzling light of foliage against the summer sky. He also painted Biblical scenes, many of which have not survived.[2]
Ury is especially noted for his paintings of nocturnal cafe scenes and rainy streets. He developed a habit of repeating these compositions in order to sell them while retaining the originals, and these quickly-made and inferior copies have harmed his reputation.
Always introverted and distrustful of people, Ury became increasingly reclusive in his later years. He died on October 18, 1931, in Berlin[3] and is buried in the
Jewish Cemetery in Berlin-Weissensee.
Ury was born on November 7, 1861, in Birnbaum[1] in what was then the
Kingdom of Prussia (now
Międzychód in
Poland). He was the son of a baker whose death in 1872 was followed by the family's relocation to
Berlin.[2] In 1878 Ury left school to apprentice with a tradesman, and the next year he went to
Düsseldorf to study painting at the
Kunstakademie. Ury spent time in
Brussels,
Paris,
Munich, and other locations, before returning to Berlin in 1887.[2]
His first exhibition was in 1889 and met with a hostile reception, although he was championed by
Adolph Menzel whose influence induced the Akademie to award Ury a prize. In 1893, he joined the
Munich Secession, one of the several
Secessions formed by progressive artists in Germany and Austria in the last years of the 19th century. In 1901, he returned to Berlin, where he exhibited with the
Berlin Secession, first in 1915 and notably in 1922, when he had a major exhibition. By this time Ury's critical reputation had grown and his paintings and
pastels were in demand. His subjects were landscapes, urban landscapes, and interior scenes, treated in an impressionistic manner that ranged from the subdued tones of figures in a darkened interior to the effects of streetlights at night to the dazzling light of foliage against the summer sky. He also painted Biblical scenes, many of which have not survived.[2]
Ury is especially noted for his paintings of nocturnal cafe scenes and rainy streets. He developed a habit of repeating these compositions in order to sell them while retaining the originals, and these quickly-made and inferior copies have harmed his reputation.
Always introverted and distrustful of people, Ury became increasingly reclusive in his later years. He died on October 18, 1931, in Berlin[3] and is buried in the
Jewish Cemetery in Berlin-Weissensee.