Franz von Stuck

Von Stuck was born in Tettenweis, a village in Lower Bavaria, as the son of a miller. He studied in Munich, first at the School of Decorative Arts, then from 1882 to 1884 at the Academy of Fine Arts. To support himself, he became an illustrator for the Fliegende Blaetter, a satirical magazine, and subsequently, he became known as a draughtsman.

Franz von Stuck, Self-Portrait, 1923, oil on board

At the age of 26, he had his first public success with a picture that won a medal at the exhibition at the Glaspalast in Munich. Thereafter, he became very successful, attaining fame and fortune early. In 1890 he won a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle in Paris and in 1893, Stuck was one of the founding members of the Munich Secession. In 1895, he taught at the Academy in Munich and had such notable students as Kandinsky and Klee.

Around 1890, Von Stuck turned to sculpture and produced several statues and statuettes. The first major work was the Wounded Centaur in 1890, then the Athlete in 1892.

In 1897 Stuck married an American widow, Mary Lindpainter, and began work designing his own residence and studio, the Villa Stuck. His designs for the villa included everything from layout to interior decorations; for his furniture, Stuck received another gold medal at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. Its harmony of architecture and decoration is a synthesis of Stuck’s paintings, sculpture, furniture, and architectural design in situ.

Stuck was ennobled on December 9, 1905. He died on August 30, 1928, in Munich; his funeral address memorialized him as ‘the last prince of art of Munich’s great days’. He is buried in the Munich Waldfriedhof next to his wife Mary.