Polish Jewish artist who lived in Paris and Girona in the early 20th century
Mela Muter was a Polish artist based in Paris from the early 1900s onwards. She was one of the few Jewish women artists of her time who gained international recognition for her work.
Who was Mela Muter?
Born in 1876 in Warsaw, her birth name was Maria Melania Klingsland.
She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. In 1899, she married art critic and writer Michal Mutermilch, while continuing her own artistic studies. In 1901, she moved with her family to Paris, where she enrolled at the Académie Colarossi and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière.
She began to exhibit her paintings both in Paris and Poland, captivating the Parisian art scene during the early 1900s.
Muter gained a reputation as a popular portrait painter in Paris, portraying wealthy and notable individuals in the city. She also made many artworks which had motherhood as a theme, as well as still lifes and landscapes.
During World War I, she had an affair with writer and activist Raymond Lefebvre which led to her and her husband divorcing.
How was Mela Muter connected to Girona?
In March 1914, she first visited Girona in Spain, returning several times.
She introduced the local artistic community to the new trends of the cosmopolitan art of Paris. Her impact in Girona's art scene was such that today a square in the city is named after her.
After World War I, Muter's style again changed. She no longer wished to paint reality but hoped to capture the beauty in her surroundings.
She converted to Catholicism in 1924, after her father's death. However, during World War II, due to her Jewish origins, she felt in danger during Nazi occupation. She moved from Paris to Avignon where she taught drawing, art history and literature.
After the war, she returned to Paris. Despite problems with her eyesight, she continued to paint until her death in 1967 at the age of 85.
Her legacy as a pioneering female artist has endured, and her work continues to be admired for its bold, expressive style and its celebration of the beauty and vitality of everyday life.