Minnie Agnes Cohen (1864-1940)
Minnie Agnes Cohen was born in Eccles, Lancaster, in May 1864. Very few of her paintings have come to light but the recent rediscovery of one of her best works, At the Capstan Bars, caused quite a stir in the market. She worked in oil and watercolour and is also remembered for her exceptional pastels. The quality of her work is not surprising when we consider her training. She studied at the Royal Academy Schools in London and in Paris under Benjamin Constant, Puvis de Chavannes and Edouard Bordes. During her illustrious career, her work was hung in the most important Salons of London, Paris, Antwerp, The Hague, Rotterdam, Hanover, Berlin and Florence. These were mostly figurative works, many of which were painted in Holland in the picturesque fishing village of Katwyk, at the mouth of the Old Rhine.