Gregor von Bochmann

Gregor von Bochmann (1 June 1850 – 12 February 1930) was a Baltic-German landscape and genre painter, born in Nehatu, in the Wiek district of the Governorate of Estonia. He was popular during his lifetime for his frequent exhibitions and striking early works. After his death, memorial exhibitions were held in 1930 and 1951, and interest in him stayed limited until exhibitions in Düsseldorf and Estonia at the start of the 21st century.

His father was a forest warden who had been ennobled for his service in the Crimean War. Bochmann often travelled the country with him, which sharpened his eye for nature. He studied at the Gustav Adolf Grammar School in Tallinn, then at the Düsseldorf Academy, where he trained in the landscape class of Oswald Achenbach. After graduating in 1871 he set up his own studio nearby. Study trips to Holland, Belgium and Estonia produced sketches that underpinned much of his later work.

He exhibited across Germany and Austria and at the 1878 Exposition Universelle, winning numerous awards. In 1893 he joined the Academy of Arts in Berlin, and he was later named Royal Prussian Professor. His main works include The Estonian Market, Sunday at a Church in Estonia, Potato Harvest in Estonia, Shipyard in South Holland, The Mussel Fishermen and The Ships Are Coming. He was also one of the first Secessionists in Düsseldorf.