Mary Jane Crafoord Muus (10 June 1919 – 12 July 2007) was a Danish painter and illustrator. Most of her works portray people, either in portraits or walking about on streets or market places in foreign countries. She is remembered above all for her sensitive, realistic illustrations in a wide range of Danish books. One of Denmark's foremost 20th-century illustrators, she had a unique style of her own.

Biography

Born in

Odder Odder is a town in Jutland, Denmark. The town is the seat of Odder municipality, and is the biggest town in the municipality. It is located 20 km south of Aarhus and 16 km south-east of Skanderborg. Odder is part of Business Region Aarhus, and t ...

in central

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

, she studied both painting and graphic arts at the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Dani ...

under

Aksel Jørgensen Aksel Jørgensen (3 February 1883 – 9 June 1957) was a Denmark, Danish painter and Wood engraving, wood engraver. He is also remembered for his years as the director and professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Royal Danish Academy whe ...

(1936–42). She travelled widely to France, Spain, Italy, North Africa and North America. Working in a predominantly Realist style, she also made woodcuts, illustrating the works of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

Herman Bang Herman Joachim Bang (20 April 1857 – 29 January 1912) was a Danish journalist and author, one of the men of the Modern Breakthrough. Biography Bang was born in Asserballe, on the small Danish island of Als, the son of a South Jutlandic vicar ...

's '' Ved Vejen''. In 1949, while in Paris, she illustrated an anthology of

Jules Romains Jules Romains (born Louis Henri Jean Farigoule; 26 August 1885 – 14 August 1972) was a French poet and writer and the founder of the Unanimism literary movement. His works include the play '' Knock ou le Triomphe de la médecine'', and a cycle ...

' works. She became a member of the

Corner Corner may refer to: People *Corner (surname) *House of Cornaro, a noble Venetian family (''Corner'' in Venetian dialect) Places *Corner, Alabama, a community in the United States *Corner Inlet, Victoria, Australia *Corner River, a tributary of ...

artists association in 1965. As a graphic artist, Muus preferred woodcuts but also used lithography and etching for her illustrations. Jane Muus exhibited her woodcuts widely, both in Denmark and in Czechoslovakia (1948), Paris (1949), Lugano (1954), Stockholm (1958) and Rostock (1965). Her works can be seen in the national institutions of Norway, Sweden and France as well as in London's

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

and New York's

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

Awards

In 1968, Muus was awarded the

Eckersberg Medal The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting. The Ec ...

and, in 1984, the

Thorvaldsen Medal The Thorvaldsen Medal (Danish: Thorvaldsens Medalje, Thorvaldsen Medaillen) is awarded annually with few exceptions to a varying number of recipients by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and is its highest distinction within the visual arts. It ...

References

External links

Illustrated list of Jane Muus' works in Danish museumsSelection of Jane Muus' works from Clausens Kunsthandel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muus, Jane 1919 births 2007 deaths 20th-century Danish painters Danish women artists Danish women illustrators Danish illustrators 20th-century Danish printmakers Danish lithographers People from Odder Municipality Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni 20th-century Danish women artists Women lithographers Danish twins 20th-century lithographers