Carl Henrik Lützow d'Unker (9 February 1828 – 24 March 1866)[1] was a Swedish artist. He was the first in a large number of Swedish artists who studied in Düsseldorf between 1850 and 1870. He was known mostly as a socially oriented genre painter whose works depicted contemporary subjects, such as waiting rooms at railway stations or scenes from pawnshops.[2][3]

Carl d'Unker
Born
Carl Henrik Lützow d'Unker

(1828-02-09)9 February 1828
Stockholm, Sweden
Died24 March 1866(1866-03-24) (aged 38)
Düsseldorf, Germany
NationalitySwedish
Known forPainter
MovementDüsseldorf school of painting

Biography

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He was born in Stockholm, Sweden. His father, Carl Henning d'Unker, was a Norwegian soldier, while his mother, Anna Christina Brunstedt, was a Swedish citizen. He began his career as a soldier and served in the Svea Life Guards for a short time.[4] In 1848 he volunteered for the First Schleswig War (1848–1849).[5] Shortly after his return to Sweden he abandoned his military career in favor of an artistic one. He moved to Düsseldorf from 1851-1853 to study painting where he became a student of Karl Ferdinand Sohn (1805–1867).[6][3]

During the years 1856 and 1857, he conducted study trips in Westphalia, Belgium and Paris. He attended the art academy in Amsterdam during 1859. He became a very popular artist on the continent. From 1861 he suffered from sickness in his right arm and was forced to paint with his left arm. He made a brief visit to Sweden in 1865 and was appointed professor by King Charles XV of Sweden. He died the following year in Düsseldorf.[5][3]

Personal life

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On 25 June 1859, he married Clara Wilhelmine Therese Karoline Antonie Schnitzler (b. 1839), the daughter of master builder Peter Heinrich Gregor Anton Schnitzler (1796–1873), after which he was able to live a carefree life financially. In 1864 he and his wife had a son, Detlev Wilhelm Albert d'Unker Luetzow.[7][3]

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References

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  1. ^ Carl d'Unker in Nationalencyklopedien (in Swedish)
  2. ^ "Carl Henrik D'Unker, Real Paintings, Real Testimonials".
  3. ^ a b c d Eskil Oronlund. "Carl Henrik d'Unker (d'Unker-Lützow)". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  4. ^ "Carl d Unker 1Australian Oil Painting Reproduction". www.oil-paintings.com.au. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  5. ^ a b Carl D'Unker in Nordisk familjebok (in Swedish)
  6. ^ "Carl Ferdinand Sohn". RKD – Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  7. ^ Svenska Konstnärer, Biografisk Uppslagsbok 2000. Svenska Konstnärer Galleri och Bokförlag AB. 1999. p. 109. ISBN 91-973689-0-3.