The self-portrait titled Tout passé, featuring the artist alongside two friends, secured Louise Catherine Breslau a debut at the 1879 Paris Salon. As the only student from the Académie Julian women's atelier to exhibit that year, she established a professional trajectory that would eventually lead to recognition as a significant painter, lithographer, and pastellist of the Impressionist movement.
Early Life and Education
Born in 1856 in Munich, Maria Luise Katharina Breslau moved to Zurich in 1858 when her father accepted a medical professorship. Following his sudden death in 1866, she spent time in a convent near Lake Constance to manage chronic asthma, a condition that prompted her early interest in drawing. Recognizing the limitations of her local training under Eduard Pfyffer, she moved to Paris to enroll at the Académie Julian, where she studied alongside peers like Sarah Purser and Marie Bashkirtseff.
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Upon adopting the name Louise Catherine, she opened an independent atelier and became a consistent presence at the annual Salon. Her technical proficiency brought numerous commissions from the Parisian elite. By 1890, she joined the jury of the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. In 1901, she achieved a milestone as the third woman, and the first foreigner of her gender, to receive the Knight of the Legion of Honour.
Relationships and War Service
Madeleine Zillhardt served as a primary muse and confidante for over four decades, living with Breslau at their home in Neuilly-sur-Seine. During World War I, despite her Swiss citizenship, Breslau produced portraits of French soldiers and nurses to express support for the country. After the conflict, she focused on garden scenes and hosted friends until her death in the 16th arrondissement of Paris in 1927. She is buried in Friedhof Baden.
Fast facts
- Born: 1856, Munich
- Died: 1927, 16th arrondissement of Paris
- Primary medium: Painting, pastel, lithography
- Education: Académie Julian
- Movement: Impressionism
- Key honor: Knight of the Legion of Honour (1901)
- Burial location: Friedhof Baden
- Citizenship: Switzerland, Germany
Questions readers ask
What is the origin of the barge named Louise-Catherine?
Purchased by Madeleine Zillhardt with support from Winnareta Singer, the vessel was redesigned by Le Corbusier to shelter the homeless in Paris.
Where can Breslau's work be viewed today?
Her works are held in various international institutions, including the British Museum, the National Gallery of Ireland, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Musée d'Orsay.
Achievements
- Knight of the Legion of Honour — 1901
- Notable work: Chez soi
- Notable work: Henry Davison
- Notable work: Kids
- Notable work: Portrait of Jean Carriès in his studio
- Movement: Impressionism
