John Leslie Breck Paintings

John Leslie Breck (1859 - 1899) was an American Impression art who tragically died at the age of 39. During his short life, Breck introduced Impressionism to the United States. The son of a US Naval Officer, Breck was born off the coast of Hong Kong. Once his family returned to the US, he grew up in Newton, Massachusetts. After he finished school, Breck left the US to study at the Royal Munich Academy. After completion, he returned to Boston. In 1886, Breck went to Paris to attend the Academie Julian. While there, he established connections with many artists both French and American. Breck also became close aquatics to Claude Monet and was the only other artist allowed in Monet's private gardens. That friendship though was short-lived after becoming involved with Monet's step-daughter. After the couple split, Breck returned to the US and displayed his paintings in an exhibit in Boston in 1890. This is when the US was introduced to Impressionism. Not long after Breck died of gas poisoning.