Irma Mutzenbacher

Georgios Jakobides is one of the main representatives of the Greek artistic movement known as the Munich School, the most important artistic movement of Greek Art in the 19th century. This school is characterised by an expressive and excessive use of colour that often overshadows the figures' expressions, as well as depicting scenes in a pompous and theatrical manner.
From 1870 to 1876 Jakobides studied sculpture and painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts, and in 1877 he went to the Akademie der Bildenden Kunste in Munich on a scholarship to continue his studies under Karl Theodor von Piloty. He lived in Munich for 17 years, and was considered a successful artist, selling his pictures at high prices. In 1900, the Greek government invited him to return to Athens to organize the National Gallery, and in 1904 he was appointed Director of the Athens School of Fine Arts where he taught for 25 years. During this time, he produced formal portraits of eminent Greeks, such as Queen Sophia. He was given awards at five international exhibitions: amongst those were Berlin in 1891 and Paris in 1900. His works are found in the National Gallery of Athens, private collections and in museums and art galleries around the world including the Art Institute of Chicago.