Grete Ingeborg Johanne Andrea Gram (20 March 1853 – 10 May 1927) was a Norwegian painter. She is best known for her landscapes and portraits. Gram is also known for being a subject of an

Eilif Peterssen Hjalmar Eilif Emanuel Peterssen (4 September 1852 – 29 December 1928) was a Norwegian painter. He is most commonly associated with his landscapes and portraits. He gained early recognition for the history painting ''Christian II signing t ...

portrait.

Early life

Grete Ingeborg Johanne Andrea Gram was born on 20 March 1853 at the family estate ''Ask gods'' in the village of Ask at

Norderhov Norderhov is a former municipality located within Ringerike (municipality), Ringerike in Buskerud county, Norway. Municipality Norderhov municipality was established on January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). According to the 1835 census the ...

parish in

Buskerud Buskerud () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Innlandet, Vestland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardanger ...

. She was the daughter of Major General Johan Georg Boll Gram (1809–1873) and Frederikke Stabell. She was a sister of Jens Gram, granddaughter of Magistrate Jens Jensen Gram, first cousin of Gregers Gram and aunt of Johan Fredrik Gram and Mads Gram. Gram and her sisters received private lessons in drawing, singing and reading from an early age. Their father took great pleasure in bringing them to observe their newly acquired skills.

Career

Painter

Hans Gude Hans Fredrik Gude (March 13, 1825August 17, 1903) was a Norwegian romanticist painter and is considered along with Johan Christian Dahl to be one of Norway's foremost landscape painters. He has been called a mainstay of Norwegian National Ro ...

convinced Gram's father to allow her to have a formal art education. She was educated at Knud Bergslien's painting school in Christiania. Gram wanted to train to be a portrait painter, and painted her portraits in the late romantic style that she had learned at the school. During her time there, she was commissioned to paint the portraits of Kirsten and Nathalie Diriks. Afterwards, she travelled to

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

with her mother and two sisters, where she studied under

in the 1870s. Gram travelled with him to paint in Italy and painted ''Sulamith seeking Solomon'' there in 1880, which was exhibited at the Christiania Art Association. However the painting was later destroyed in a fire. Peterssen also travelled with her to Gram family's Ask estate. In 1879, Peterssen married Andrea Gram's sister Nicoline (1850–1882). Several other artists also stayed at the Ask estate, including

Harriet Backer Harriet Backer (21 January 1845 – 25 March 1932) was a Norwegian painter who achieved recognition in her own time and was a pioneer among female artists both in the Nordic countries and in Europe generally. She is best known for her detailed ...

, another Peterssen student. Other Peterssen students at the time were Kitty Kielland and

Asta Nørregaard Asta Nørregaard (13 August 1853 – 23 March 1933) was a Norwegian painter who was best known for her portraits. Biography Nørregaard was born in Oslo, Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. She was the daughter of Hans Peter Nørregaard (1818–18 ...

Personal life and death

She married Swedish physician Emil Kleen (1847–1923) on 26 May 1881 and moved to

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, where her output slowed. Gram died there on 10 May 1927, at the age of 74.

Gallery

Andrea_Gram_Portrett_av_Kirsten_Diriks_OB.00578.jpg, Portrait of Kirsten Diriks painted in 1873 Andrea_Gram_Portrett_av_Nathalie_Diriks_OB.00579.jpg, Portrait of Nathalie Diriks painted in 1874 Andrea_Gram_Sunflowers_and_Indian_Cress_in_a_Copper_Vase_(1894).jpg, ''Sunflowers and Indian Cress in a Copper Vase'' painted in 1894

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gram, Andrea 1853 births 1927 deaths People from Ringerike (municipality) 19th-century Norwegian painters 20th-century Norwegian painters 20th-century Norwegian women painters 19th-century Norwegian women painters