Torre del Greco (c1898)

Marie Egner was a distinguished Austrian painter, celebrated for her significant impact on landscape and flower painting in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Egner was born on 25 August 1850 in Bad Radkersburg, Austria, and from an early age demonstrated artistic ability. Her formal education in art began in Graz, where she studied with Hermann von Königsbrunn, and she later continued her training with Carl Jungheim in Düsseldorf from 1872 to 1875. These early years laid a strong foundation for her painting career, particularly in the plein air style that was fashionable at the time.

In 1882, Egner relocated to Vienna with her mother and became immersed in the city’s lively artistic milieu. She spent several summers at the famous Plankenberg Castle art colony near Neulengbach, where she studied under the leading Austrian landscape artist Emil Jakob Schindler until 1887. Her development as an artist was further enhanced by a period of study in England between 1887 and 1889, which provided her with international exposure and expanded her artistic horizons.

Egner’s art quickly gained recognition, and she staged her first exhibition at the renowned Vienna Künstlerhaus. Her paintings were also shown in Germany and England, bringing her acclaim outside of Austria as well. Marie Egner is remembered for her sensitive use of light and atmosphere and for her important position among the female artists of Vienna’s art world during her lifetime.