Otto R. Jacobi (Otto Reinhold Jacobi)

1812-1901

Otto Jacobi was born in Konigsberg, Western Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia) and was the youngest of three children. He received his first art lessons in his native town under Christian Ernst Rauschke and then studied art in Berlin at the Königliche Akademie der Kunste (1830). At age 20, he moved to Dusseldorf after wining a prize that gave him the opportunity to study three years at the Fine Arts Academy, one of Europe’s most prestigious. There he received instruction from Johann Wilhelm Schirmer. At this time, he exhibited in Berlin (1834, 1836, 1839) and also showed works in Halberstadt (1836) and Leipzig (1837, 1839, 1841). In 1838, Jacobi married Sybille Reuter in Germany and together they would have four children. Still in 1838, he illustrated a poem in a book by Robert Reinick’s and sold a landscape, a scene near Lake Geneva, to the Königsberg municipal museum.

Jacobi’s work became well known in his own country and abroad, and he received numerous commissions from royalty, notably from the Duke of Nassau and the Empress of Russia who, after being most impressed by Jacobi’s talent, appointed him as court painter in Wiesbaden (c. 1841). Jacobi held that position for about twenty years, giving art classes to the children of the ducal household, taking care of the duke’s picture collection and painting for the court. At one point during this period, Jacobi had dealer representation both in England (1853) and Montreal (1855).

Jacobi came to Canada in about 1860 when he was commissioned to paint a scene of the Shawinigan Falls that would be presented to the Prince of Wales during his official Canadian reception. After completing this commission, Jacobi’s family joined him in Canada as they decided to stay instead of returning to Germany where they had established themselves. He first settled in Montreal where he worked for Notman and Fraser and he quickly forged ties with the local artistic milieu and with artists from abroad such as his fellow countrymen Adolph Vogt. A member from at least 1865, Jacobi exhibited regularly at the annual exhibitions of the Art Association of Montreal (1864-1898) and won a prize in 1870, which he later shared with painter Daniel Fowler.

In 1867, along with Allan Aaron Edson, John Arthur Fraser, Henry Sandham and Charles Jones Way, the Society of Canadian Artists was founded through Jacobi’s efforts and those of Adolphe Vogt and William Raphael, two other prominent painters of German origin. While in the Montreal area, Jacobi travelled and painted landscapes in the vicinities of Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa and Kingston. From 1868 until his death, Jacobi alternated between living in cities – Montreal (1868–72, 1887–91), Toronto (1878–81, 1891–96), and Philadelphia (1881–83) – and pioneering with his children in both Canada (1873–78, 1886–87) and the United States (1883–86, 1896–1901).

When Jacobi went to Toronto, he was among the first exhibitors at the Ontario Society of Artists (1878-1896) after being admitted on recommendation of painter Lucius Richard O’Brien. Jacobi was also one of the first teachers of watercolour painting at the Ontario School of Art in Toronto (1877) which was founded by the Ontario Society of Artists. He accepted the position on request of Thomas Mower Martin after Robert Harris declined the job offering. Jacobi was presumably a better painter than teacher and for this reason he left the Ontario School of Art but continued to give private lessons to pupils such as Henry Sandham.

In 1879, Jacobi became a charter member of the Royal Canadian Academy and he exhibited with them from 1881 to 1898. He submitted his diploma work to the Royal Canadian Academy in 1883 and later became president of the RCA in 1890, position he held until 1893. Jacobi also became a member of the Montreal Pen and Pencil Club in 1890.

Unfortunately, Jacobi’s three years as president of the RCA coincided with a decline in eyesight. Jacobi and his wife left Canada for the last time in 1896 and went to live with their daughter in Dakota, United-States. It was there that Jacobi passed away in 1901 at the age of 89.

Other than the regular exhibitions mentioned earlier, Jacobi also participated at many international exhibitions including Upper Canada’s Provincial Exhibition in London, Ontario (1865), at which he won second prize, the Philadelphia Centennial International Exhibition (1876), the Toronto Industrial Exhibition (1881, 1900), the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1881)  and the Columbian Exposition in Chicago (1893).

Collections:

- National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
- National Gallery of Berlin (Berlin, Germany)
- Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Montreal, QC)
- Musée d’Art de Joliette (Joliette, QC)
- Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec (Quebec City, QC)
- Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto, ON)
- Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (Halifax, NS)
- Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (Victoria, BC)
- Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver, BC)
- The Winnipeg Art Gallery (Winnipeg, MN)
- Beaverbrook Art Gallery (Fredericton, NB)
- Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery (Owen Sound, ON)
- Confederation Centre Art Gallery (Charlottetown, PEI)
- Edmonton Art Gallery (Edmonton, AB)
- Museum London (London, ON)
- Agnes Etherington Art Centre (Kingston, ON)
- Concordia University (Montreal, QC)
- Power Corporation of Canada (Montreal, QC)

Affiliations:

- Art Association of Montreal (1865)
- Society of Canadian Artists (1867)
- Ontario Society of Artists (1878)
- Royal Canadian Academy (1883), Charter member (1979), President (1890-1893)
- Montreal Pen and Pencil Club (1890)