Joel Ballin

Educated at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts initially as a painter, Joel Ballin (1822-1885) travelled widely throughout Europe, including Leipzig, Paris and London, to promote craft and graphic techniques. Following Academic training alongside contemporaries including J.L. Lund and C.W. Eckersberg, Ballin then redirected his career towards engraving, to become one of the most efficient practitioners of his generation. By applying the skills received from the Academy to the emerging field of reproductive printmaking, he became internationally recognised, earning a gold medal at the Paris Salon, membership to the Royal Danish Academy, and also becoming a founding member of the Artists’ Association in 1842, to promote artistic enterprise. Despite previous issues with misattribution, Ballin now occupies a distinctive position within nineteenth century Danish art, proving his multidisciplinary proficiency as both painter and engraver.