Julia Thecla (February 28, 1896 – June 29, 1973) was an American artist based in Chicago in the 1930s and 1940s, working in the Surrealist and magical realist school of modern art.

[1] Also in 1943, Thecla was included in Peggy Guggenheim's show Exhibition by 31 Women at the Art of This Century gallery in New York.

[2] Reasons for this included the rising interest in abstraction, and the generally lower level of attention given to women artists, particularly those not associated with men.

[citation needed] In 2006, 35 Thecla paintings were shown in a special exhibit at the DePaul University Art Museum.

[7] The museum described Thecla as a forgotten Chicago artist, saying "her ethereal and sensuous portrayal of dreams, fairytales, and planetary realms were extraordinary explorations of alternative social orders.