Eva Mudocci (1872–1953), born Evangeline Hope Muddock, was an English violinist, who toured Europe with the pianist Bella Edwards. She was the friend and probably lover of the artist

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, '' The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the d ...

Early life

She was born Evangeline Hope Muddock in 1872 in Brixton, London, the daughter of the British journalist and author J. E. Preston Muddock and his wife, Lucy Mary Hann, a violinist.About Eva Mudocci
, evamudocci.com Retrieved 24 July 2019.

Career

Mudocci first played the violin in public at the age of nine, as Miss Rose Lynton, which was how she was known for the first decade of her career. As a child, she performed both regionally and nationally within England. Her formal debut was at Prince's Hall on 23 May 1891 in a production that alternated between violin solos, songs, and a quartet by the composer

Louis Spohr Louis Spohr (, 5 April 178422 October 1859), baptized Ludewig Spohr, later often in the modern German form of the name Ludwig, was a German composer, violinist and conducting, conductor. Highly regarded during his lifetime, Spohr composed ten Sy ...

. Mudocci later met the pianist Bella Edwards, who she later lived with and performed with for five years. She toured Europe with Edwards which brought her critical acclaim.

Personal life

Mudocci and Edvard Munch met in 1903, when they were introduced in Paris by the composer

Frederick Delius file:Fritz Delius (1907).jpg, Delius, photographed in 1907 Frederick Theodore Albert Delius ( 29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934), originally Fritz Delius, was an English composer. Born in Bradford in the north of England to a prosperous mercan ...

, a friend of Munch. It is believed that Mudocci and Munch became lovers, and that this relationship continued until 1908/09, and they remained in contact until 1927. Mudocci, who is described as a lesbian, and Bella Edwards were also lovers as well as having a professional musical partnership. Munch made three lithographs of Mudocci, one including Edwards. Mudocci was a muse to

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, and sculptur ...

, as well as Munch.Does a Minnesota college own a portrait by Edvard Munch?
Ruth Lopez, ''

The Art Newspaper ''The Art Newspaper'' is a monthly print publication, with daily updates online, founded in 1990 and based in London and New York City. It covers news of the visual arts as they are affected by international politics and economics, developments ...

'', 16 April 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019. In December 1908, Mudocci gave birth to twins, Isobel and Kai, in a private clinic in

Nykøbing Falster Nykøbing Falster (; originally named Nykøbing) is a southern Danish city, seat of the Guldborgsund ''kommune''. It belongs to Region Sjælland. The city lies on Falster, connected by the Frederick IX Bridge over the Guldborgsund (''Gul ...

, Denmark. It has been speculated that Munch, who was believed to have died childless, was the father of the twins, and in 2012, Mudocci's granddaughter, Janet Weber, was willing to undertake DNA testing to prove this.

Death and legacy

Mudocci died in 1953. An unfinished painting, ''Portrait of Eva Mudocci'', in the collection of the Flaten Art Museum at St. Olaf College, Minnesota, in the United States, is generally agreed to be of Mudocci, and probably painted in about 1904–05, but opinion is divided on whether or not it is by Munch. In 1959, the painting was sold by the estate of the Danish illustrator Kay Nielsen, a close family friend of Mudocci. In 1984,

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

created an acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas artwork, ''Eva Mudocci (after Munch)''.Andy Warhol EVA MUDOCCI (AFTER MUNCH).
Sotheby's. Retrieved 24 July 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mudocci, Eva 1872 births 1953 deaths English violinists Women classical violinists English LGBT musicians People from Brixton Muses