Lesser Ury (German, 1861–1931) was an Impressionist painter and printmaker, associated with the Düsseldorf School of Painting. Born in Birnbaum, Poznan, Ury moved to Berlin as a teenager. He later studied at the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf, and spent time in Paris, Brussels, Munich, Stuttgart, and Karlsruhe. During his travels, he painted his first city scenes, interiors, and floral still lifes. He studied with Jean François Portaëls at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, with Jules Joseph Lefebvre in Paris, and with Johann Caspar Herterich at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich. In 1887, he returned to Berlin where he befriended fellow Impressionist painter Max Liebermann.

Though he and Liebermann eventually formed an antagonistic relationship, both are credited with introducing Impressionism into the Berlin art scene. In 1889, Ury’s first show was met with harsh criticism. However, renowned artist Adolph von Menzel convinced the Akademie to award him the Michael-Beer-Preis, which allowed Ury to travel to Rome and Capri.

In 1893, Ury joined the Munich Secession. In 1901, he moved back to Berlin, and exhibited with the Berlin Secession in 1915. By the 1920s, Ury’s reputation had grown. His primary subjects were landscapes, urban landscapes, and interior scenes, as well as nighttime café and street scenes. While known primarily as an Impressionist, his later art was post-impressionistic.

Ury died in his Berlin studio three weeks before his 70th birthday. Today, his work can be found in the Berlinische Galerie, the Harvard University Art Museums, and the Jewish Museum in New York.