Art Herstory: Louise Abbéma (1853 – 1927)
Louise in her studio in 1895. Photo curtesy of Wikipedia Commons.
French Impressionist Louise Abbéma (1853 – 1927)
Louise Abbéma began painting as a teenager and studied art in Paris. She first received recognition for her work at age 23 when she painted a portrait of lesbian actress Sarah Bernhardt, her lifelong friend. She never married which has led to the general assumption that she was a lesbian too.
Louise became a successful impressionist painter and was also an accomplished printmaker, sculptor, and designer, as well as a writer who made regular contributions to the journals Gazette des Beaux-Arts and L’Art. She exhibited regularily at the Salon in Paris form 1878 to 1926. See also the bio of Louise Abbéma at www.glbgq.com