Cliffs on the Coast of Sanary (Provence)

Inspired by French Post-Impressionism, Anna Boch loved painting en plein air, often setting up her easel during her travels to capture the landscape directly before her. On the rocky coast near Sanary in Provence, she used fluid brushstrokes, brilliant color, and strongly modeled forms to convey the rugged cliffs and untamed Mediterranean landscape. Boch was a remarkable figure in the predominantly male Belgian avant-garde: she was the only woman in Les XX (Les Vingt), the progressive Brussels artists’ association whose annual exhibitions introduced audiences to some of the period's most experimental art. But Boch was much more than a painter. A musician, collector, and important patron of modern art, she organized concerts and exhibitions in her Art Nouveau home in Ixelles and built an exceptional collection that included works by Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, and Vincent van Gogh. In fact, Boch became one of Van Gogh’s earliest collectors when she bought his The Red Vineyard in 1890, during his lifetime. There is a little DailyArt continuation to this story! Come back tomorrow when Van Gogh himself will be waiting for you in the app!

P.S. Anna Boch was a woman who didn’t simply participate in the avant-garde—she helped shape and support it. Discover many more remarkable women who changed art history with our Women Artists 50 Postcards Set, available in the DailyArt Shop!

P.P.S. From painting to collecting and patronage, Anna Boch left her mark on the Belgian avant-garde. Discover five things you should know about her.