Franz von Lenbach

A combination of talent, the desire for social advancement and good fortune raised Lenbach, from a modest family background — the son of a stonemason — to the widely recognised rank of “Künstlerfürst”, or prince of artists. The “title” was bestowed on him by his Munich colleague Franz von Stuck. The two painters played leading roles in the city’s cultural life at a time when Munich was regarded as the art capital of German-speaking Europe. Lenbach showed an interest in the arts early on and was self-taught until in 1857 he entered the Munich Academy and thus had the opportunity to travel to Rome with Karl Theodor von Piloty, where he found inspiration for his pictures. Nevertheless his career only began to gain momentum in the early 1870s, thanks to his growing reputation as a portrait painter. At the same time he climbed the social ladder and got to know the leading figures of German public life. At the height of his success, in 1887, he had a handsome Tuscan villa (the Lenbachhaus) built for himself. After his death the building was converted into a municipal gallery, where works by Munich and contemporary foreign painters are shown.

From the page of Shepherd Boy