Leon Koen (; 1859–1934) was a Serbian painter. Despite participating in major exhibitions, only a fraction of his works are known to survive.

Biography

Leon Koen was born to a

Sephardi Jewish Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...

family of merchants Aaron and mother Sarah, in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

Principality of Serbia The Principality of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Књажество Србија, Knjažestvo Srbija) was an autonomous state in the Balkans that came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution, which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Its creation was ...

. In 1884, he enrolled in a preparatory course at the Munich

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute o ...

, and the following year he received a state scholarship from

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Краљевина Србија, Kraljevina Srbija) was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Princi ...

and enrolled in the Academy, whose

alumni Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

include

Đorđe Krstić Đorđe Krstić also Djordje Krstić (, ; 19 April 1851 – 30 October 1907) was a Serbian realist painter and academic. He is often ranked alongside his contemporaries, Paja Jovanović and Uroš Predić. Biography Krstić finished his educatio ...

and

Stevan Aleksić Stevan Aleksić ( sr-cyr, Стеван Алексић) (23 December 1876 – 2 November 1923) was a Serbian painter born in Austria-Hungary. His work belongs to the Munich School. He is especially known for his series of self-portraits, dating ...

. In 1889 he exhibited at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, and six years later at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

. In 1896 he was awarded the silver medal for painting "Joseph's Dream" by the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. Leon Koen - Proleće, 1902

Koen survived a nervous breakdown in 1902 and was placed in a mental hospital in Belgrade, where he was under constant psychiatric supervision until his death. The deterioration of his mental health forced his wife, Josephine Simon, to sell most of his paintings. Koen's close friend, David Pijade, collected his paintings for a major retrospective that took place in 1926 at King Peter's School near St. Michael's Cathedral in

. He frequently painted works inspired by

history of Serbia The history of Serbia covers the historical development of Serbia and of its predecessor states, from the Early Stone Age to the present state, as well as that of the Serbian people and of the areas they ruled historically. Serbian habitation ...

and nature. One year after Koen's death a grand retrospective was held at the

Cvijeta Zuzorić Art Pavilion „Cvijeta Zuzorić“ Art Pavilion ( sr, Уметнички павиљон "Цвијета Зузорић", ) is an exhibition building in Belgrade, in Kalemegdan, situated in the park's section of Little Kalemegdan, next to the south-eastern fro ...

Kalemegdan The Kalemegdan Park ( sr, / ), or simply Kalemegdan ( sr-Cyrl, Калемегдан) is the largest park and the most important historical monument in Belgrade. It is located on a cliff, at the junction of the River Sava and the Danube. Kal ...

. The exhibition featured 63 works. He was in correspondence and associated with

Nadežda Petrović Nadežda Petrović ( sr-Cyrl, Надежда Петровић; 11/12 October 1873 – 3 April 1915) was a Serbian painter and one of the women war photography pioneers in the region. Considered Serbia's most famous expressionist and fauvist, ...

Vasily Kandinsky Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (; rus, Василий Васильевич Кандинский, Vasiliy Vasilyevich Kandinskiy, vɐˈsʲilʲɪj vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ kɐnʲˈdʲinskʲɪj; – 13 December 1944) was a Russian painter a ...

and

Franz Stuck Franz von Stuck (February 23, 1863 – August 30, 1928), born Franz Stuck, was a German painter, sculptor, printmaker, and architect. Stuck was best known for his paintings of ancient mythology, receiving substantial critical acclaim with '' The ...

. Koen's work was praised by fellow painter

. Only fifteen of Koen's paintings survive. Most of his painting were lost or destroyed during the Second World War. Twelve surviving works are in the collection of the

National Museum of Serbia The National Museum of Serbia ( sr, / ) is the largest and oldest museum in Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in the central zone of Belgrade on a square plot between the Republic Square, formerly Theatre Square, and three streets: Čika Ljubina ...

, and two more are owned by The Federation of Jewish Communities of Serbia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koen, Leon Artists from Belgrade Serbian Sephardi Jews Serbian painters 1859 births 1934 deaths

Biography

See also

References