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Yuliy Yulyevich Klever was a Russian painter and one of the most prominent representatives of salon-academic landscape painting in the second half of the nineteenth century. An Academician and Professor of the Imperial Academy of Arts, he combined an effective exhibition strategy with a romantic interpretation of nature, achieving recognition from the public, the artistic establishment, and the Imperial court.
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BIOGRAPHY
Yuliy Yulyevich Klever was born on 19 January 1850 in Dorpat into a Baltic German family. His father, Julius von Klever, was a professor at the Veterinary Institute and held a master’s degree in chemistry. Klever’s early interest in art led him to Saint Petersburg, where he enrolled in the landscape classes of the Imperial Academy of Arts. He studied first under M. N. Vorobyov and later under M. K. Klodt. During his academic training, he was awarded both the Small and Large Silver Medals. Despite his academic success, Klever consciously chose not to complete the full programme, opting instead for independent artistic development through systematic work from nature and plein-air practice. He died on 24 December 1924 in Leningrad.
CAREER STAGES
Klever’s active exhibition career began in the early 1870s. In 1871, his painting Abandoned Cemetery in Winter was favourably received by the artistic community and acquired by Count Stroganov. In 1872, the work Sunset entered the collection of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna. From 1874 onward, Klever regularly participated in exhibitions of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists and, at the age of twenty-four, was granted a solo exhibition and awarded a prize. In 1876, Emperor Alexander II acquired Birch Forest, after which Klever was awarded the title of First-Class Artist without completing the academic course. In 1878, he received the title of Academician for Old Park. In 1879, Virgin Forest was acquired by Pavel Tretyakov, while Island of Nargen was purchased by Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich. In 1881, the Imperial Academy of Arts conferred upon Klever the title of Professor for Forest Wilderness.
STYLE, TECHNIQUE AND DIRECTION
Klever’s work belongs to the salon-academic tradition of Russian landscape painting with a pronounced romantic component. Central themes include forests, woodland depths, parks, and secluded natural settings, conveyed through dramatic lighting, twilight atmospheres, and sunset effects. He worked primarily in oil on canvas, employing a multilayered painting technique and carefully constructed compositions. At the height of his popularity, a significant number of works were produced with the assistance of studio collaborators, after which Klever completed the paintings himself, refining them with his own brushwork. Such works are traditionally attributed to the artist’s studio.
LEGACY AND MASTERPIECES
Among Klever’s key works are Birch Forest (1876), Old Park (1878), Virgin Forest (1879), Winter Forest, and Forest in Late Autumn (1903). His paintings are held in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, as well as in regional museums and private collections in Russia and Europe. His legacy played a significant role in establishing emotionally charged landscape painting as an independent and commercially important genre.
MARKET ANALYSIS
Masterpieces: Large-scale autograph landscapes from Klever’s mature period, with confirmed attribution and museum provenance, occupy the upper segment of the market. Works featuring fully developed forest and seasonal motifs are particularly valued. The indicative price range is €100,000-250,000.
Workshop / Circle: Works created with the participation of Yuliy Klever or within his immediate artistic circle demonstrate steady interest among private collectors. Quality of execution, degree of the master’s involvement, and condition significantly affect valuation. The indicative price range is €30,000-100,000.
School / Followers: Landscapes produced by artists of Klever’s school and later followers, working in his established stylistic manner and employing characteristic compositional and lighting devices, are represented in the lower price segment. The indicative price range is €5,000-30,000.
The market demand for works by Yuliy Klever is confirmed by results achieved at leading international auction houses, particularly for forest, twilight, and seasonal landscapes dating from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
