Willie Mikhail Yakovlevich (1838-1910)

Officer of the Preobrazhensky Regiment (until 1862), Mikhail Y. Willie received his art education, first by taking private lessons from LO Premazzi, then as a visiting student volnoprihodyaschego Academy of Arts. In 1863, after a series of works (The ruins of the castle Wesenberg, Kirche St. Nicholas in Revel), he was promoted to the artist. In the future, improved his skills in Brussels and Munich, and in 1868 received the title of academician of the series of his watercolors (Types Savvino Storozhevsky monastery, Bernkastel on the Mosel. Prussia, interior dining Count Kushelev-Bezborodko).

Despite the fact that MJ Willie lived from 1865 to 1885 mainly abroad and there he wrote many works in watercolor and oil, he maintained very close relations with Russia, participated in exhibitions of the Academy and the Society of Russian watercolors.

On his return to Russia a lot of traveling through the ancient city created in 1880-1890-ies of numerous species of ancient monuments: a series of Yaroslavl (General view of Yaroslavl, Church of the Nativity, Moscow outpost in Yaroslavl), counties Yaroslavl province, etc.

Active professional and social activities MJ Willie became the reason of his election in 1903 a full member of the Academy of Fine Arts. And he was the member of the Royal Belgian Society of watercolor. The artist's works were shown at many international, including global and exhibitions. In 1912 and 1913 took place in St. Petersburg posthumous exhibition of MJ Willie. His works are presently occupy a place of honor in many museums around the country.