Einfach Himmlisch! Die Malerin Marie Ellenrieder 1791-1863

Marie Ellenrieder (1791-1863) from Constance is one of the most significant female German painters of the nineteenth century. She embarked confidently and successfully on a path through life that was unusual for her time. After starting out as a miniaturist, in 1813 she was the first woman admitted to study at the Munich Art Academy. She soon went on to become a sought-after portraitist. Her expressive portraits of the bourgeoisie and aristocrats, of men, women and children, display a captivating freshness of perception and psychological perspicacity. Marie Ellenrieder also made pioneering contributions to the genre of religious art: her altarpieces for the church in Ichenheim/Ortenau in 1822 were the first by a German female artist for a Catholic church.

A journey to Italy in 1822-1824 introduced Marie Ellenrieder to the German Nazarene art movement, which was active in Rome. Their creative work and lifestyle reflected her own ambitions: the linking of life, faith and art.

In 1827 Marie Ellenrieder was the first woman to be awarded the Gold Medal for Art and Science by the Badischer Kunstverein [Baden Art Association]. In 1829 Grand Duke Ludwig appointed her as the Baden court painter. The highly revered artist died in 1863 in Constance.