Fanny Churberg

Fanny Churberg (12 December 1845 – 10 May 1892) was a Finnish landscape painter.

Biography Churberg was born on 12 December 1845, in Vaasa. Her father, Matias Churberg, was a doctor from a family of farmers and her mother Maria was the daughter of the vicar in Liperi parish, Nils Johan Perander. Fanny was the third of seven children. Four of her siblings died when they were young and so Fanny grew up with her two older brothers Torsten and . She urged Finnish women to join the Friends' effort to revive textile practice in Finland.

Fanny Churberg's career ended suddenly in 1880. Her health was weaker and she took care of her brother Torsten who was suffering from tuberculosis. Torsten's death in 1882 made her quite lonely and her will to live lessened as did her energy. The other brother Waldemar, to whom she used to be very close, had married in 1877. The reason for ending her career might also have been the harsh criticism she had met before, but she never withdrew completely from the art circles. She did not however paint anymore after 1880, not even for her own amusement, but during her career she had still managed to produce over 300 paintings.

Churberg died on 10 May 1892, in Helsinki.

Legacy Churberg was included in the 2018 exhibit Women in Paris 1850-1900. In 2024, she was also included in the exhibition Against All Odds at the National Gallery of Denmark.

Works