Burne-Jones
1833 - 1894 (61)
Biography
Sir Edward Burne-Jones was an important English painter, designer, and pioneer of decorative and industrial design in the late nineteenth century. He was born in Birmingham on August 28, 1833. He initially studied theology at Oxford, but in 1852 he met the painter and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti and decided to abandon his studies in order to become an artist. He followed Rossetti to London, where they collaborated on illustration and decorative design projects.
In 1855 he traveled through several cities in France, and in 1859 he visited Italy, where he studied the masters of the Renaissance. In 1860 he married Georgiana MacDonald, with whom he had two children. In the 1870s he caused considerable scandal through his romantic relationship with the Greek model Maria Zambaco, who inspired several of his works. His first major success came with his exhibition of 1877, after which he gained recognition as one of the leading painters of Victorian England.
In addition to painting, Burne-Jones designed stained-glass windows for churches, decorative works for furniture and interiors, tapestries, and book illustrations. Closely associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement and the Arts and Crafts movement, he played a major role in the revival of medieval themes and craftsmanship in British art. In 1894 he was awarded a baronetcy in recognition of his artistic achievements. He died on June 17, 1898.