Yuliy Yulievich Klever (German: Julius Sergius von Klever; January 19 (31), 1850, Dorpat, Russian Empire - December 24, 1924, Leningrad, USSR) was a Russian artist of German origin. He received recognition as a landscape painter of the salon-academic sense. Academician (1878) and professor (1881) of the Imperial Academy of Arts.
Born in Dorpat on January 19 (31), 1850. He came from a German Baltic family; his father Julius W. Klever was a master of chemistry and taught at the Veterinary Institute in Dorpat.
Since childhood, he showed a penchant for drawing and in 1867, after graduating from the Dorpat gymnasium, he began studying at the architectural (at his father's insistence) classes of the Imperial Academy of Arts, but soon transferred to the landscape class - studied with S. M. Vorobyov, then with M. K. Klodt. He received small and large silver medals from the Academy of Arts (1870).
In 1871, his painting "Abandoned Cemetery in Winter" was positively evaluated by the artistic community and acquired by Count P. S. Stroganov, and in 1872 his painting "Sunset" was acquired by Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna.
In 1874, he organized his personal exhibition at the stands of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts.
In 1875, Yu. Yu., Klever received the prize of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts for the painting "Neglected Park", and in 1876 - for the painting "The first snow on a plowed field". And in 1876, his second solo exhibition took place. After Alexander II wished to purchase his painting "Birch Forest" in 1876, he was awarded the title of class artist of the 1st degree, and in 1878 for the painting "Old Park" ("View of a neglected park in Marienburg"), he received the title of academician of painting.
In 1879, together with V. V. Samoilov, he worked on the island of Nargen. As a result, one of the paintings — "Forest on Nargen Island" ("Virgin Forest") — was acquired by P. M. Tretyakov, the other - "Nargen Island" - by Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, and "Forest in Winter" - by Alexander III.
In 1881, for the painting "The Wilderness of the Forest", the Academy of Arts awarded Yu. Yu. Clover the title of professor /
For the palace on the estate of A. G. Kuznetsov in Foros, he painted a number of paintings.
And in the 1890s, events occurred, as a result of which Yu. Yu. Klever left for Germany: he was involved as a witness in a high-profile case of financial abuse of his acquaintance, the former conference secretary of the Academy of Arts P. F. Iseeva.
The Klever family returned to Russia only in 1915. After returning to his homeland, he organized an exhibition in Moscow. After the revolution of 1917, Yu. Yu. Klever received financial support from the Society of Artists named after A. I. Kuindzhi. Until the end of his life he taught at the Academy of Fine Arts and at the Central School of Technical Drawing, where he headed the Department of Monumental Painting.
He died in Leningrad on December 24, 1924. He was buried at the Smolensk Orthodox Cemetery on a Cross path near the Smolenka River (plot 56).
In 1980, for the anniversary of the artist, a new monument was erected, moved from an abandoned plot near the Smolensk Church.
The works of Yu. Yu. Klever are in the State Russian Museum, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Odessa Art Museum, the Serpukhov Historical and Art Museum, the museums of Zaraysk, Barnaul, Vladimir, Volgograd, Kaluga, Kozmodemyansk, Kostroma, Krasnodar, Lipetsk, Veliky Novgorod, Sevastopol, Semey, Serpukhov, Stavropol, Syktyvkar, Tambov, Ulyanovsk, Alma-Ata, Yerevan, Voronezh; in private collections .
The rapid success of Yu. Yu. Klever gave him a lot of orders and, sometimes creating a picture a day, Klever often began to quickly pass with a brush through the under-drawings made by his assistants. This is how numerous works "Klever and Workshop" appeared, the circle of artists of which researchers of the work of Yu. Yu. Klever has not yet been fully established; the most famous co-author was Prince Nikolai Obolensky. Among the successors of the style of Yu. Yu. Klever in painting, Count V. L. Muravyev is called.
Presumably, he entered into his first marriage immediately after graduating from the Dorpat gymnasium, marrying the daughter of Konstantin Kugelgen.
Wife, since July 23, 1875 — Zinaida Ferro, daughter of retired general, head of the palace pharmacy Karl Vasilyevich Ferro.
Konstantin (1868-1937), artist.
Maria (1878-1967), theater artist.
Julius (1879-1942), artist. In 1910 he held a solo exhibition in Moscow. He taught at a Drawing school in St. Petersburg (1902-1906; 1909-1917); died during the blockade.
Oscar (1887-1975), artist. Illustrated and designed books, created sketches of theatrical costumes and scenery at the P. P. Gaideburov Mobile Theater in St. Petersburg. After the revolution, he worked mainly as a theater artist and graphic artist.
Olga (?-1942) — died during the blockade.
