Origins & Early Life

Paula Modersohn-Becker (8 February 1876 – 20 November 1907) was a German Expressionist painter and draftswoman of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She is noted for the many self-portraits, including nudes. She is considered one of the most important representatives of early expressionism, producing more than 700 paintings and over 1000 drawings during her active painting life. She is recognized both as the first known woman painter to paint nude self-portraits, and the first woman to have a museum devoted exclusively to her art (the Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum, founded 1927).

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Additionally, she is believed to be the first woman artist to depict herself pregnant. Her career was cut short when she died from postpartum pulmonary embolism at the age of 31. Becker was born and grew up in Dresden, in the Friedrichstadt area. She was the third of seven children in her family. Her father, Carl Woldemar Becker (1841–1901), the Odessa-born son of a Russian university professor of French, was employed as an engineer with the German railway.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Her mother, Mathilde (1852–1926), was from the aristocratic von Bültzingslöwen family, and her parents provided...

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