Leo Freiherr von König (1871-1944) was a German painter and member of the

Berlin Secession The Berlin Secession was an art movement established in Germany on May 2, 1898. Formed in reaction to the Association of Berlin Artists, and the restrictions on contemporary art imposed by Kaiser Wilhelm II, 65 artists "seceded," demonstrating ag ...

Biography

Leo was the eldest son of Götz von König, a military officer who later became a

General of the Cavalry General of the Cavalry (german: General der Kavallerie) was a General officer rank in the cavalry in various states of which the modern states of German and Austria are successors or in other armies which used the German model. Artillery officers ...

, and his wife Baroness Hertha von Cramm (1847–1934). From 1889 to 1894, he attended the Prussian Academy of Art then, from 1894 to 1897, the Académie Julian in Paris, where he studied with

Jules Lefebvre Jules Joseph Lefebvre (; 14 March 183624 February 1911) was a French figure painter, educator and theorist. Early life Lefebvre was born in Tournan-en-Brie, Seine-et-Marne, on 14 March 1836. He entered the École nationale supérieure des Be ...

and

Tony Robert-Fleury Tony Robert-Fleury (1 September 18378 December 1911) was a French painter, known primarily for historical scenes. He was also a prominent art teacher, with many famous artists among his students. Biography He was born just outside Paris, and st ...

. After 1900, he lived in Berlin. He married one of his students, Anna von Hansemann (1897-1992) and she frequently served as his model. He was one of the late comers to the Berlin Secession. Among his best-known portraits are those of

Gerhart Hauptmann Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann (; 15 November 1862 – 6 June 1946) was a German dramatist and novelist. He is counted among the most important promoters of literary naturalism, though he integrated other styles into his work as well. He rece ...

Ernst Barlach Ernst Heinrich Barlach (2 January 1870 – 24 October 1938) was a German expressionist sculptor, medallist, printmaker and writer. Although he was a supporter of the war in the years leading to World War I, his participation in the war made hi ...

Emil Nolde Emil Nolde (born Hans Emil Hansen; 7 August 1867 – 13 April 1956) was a German-Danish painter and printmaker. He was one of the first Expressionists, a member of Die Brücke, and was one of the first oil painting and watercolor painters of th ...

Käthe Kollwitz Käthe Kollwitz ( born as Schmidt; 8 July 1867 – 22 April 1945) was a German artist who worked with painting, printmaking (including etching, lithography and woodcuts) and sculpture. Her most famous art cycles, including ''The Weavers'' and ' ...

and Eugen d’Albert. He also created portraits of Reichsminister

Bernhard Rust Bernhard Rust (30 September 1883 – 8 May 1945) was Minister of Science, Education and National Culture ( Reichserziehungsminister) in Nazi Germany.Claudia Koonz, ''The Nazi Conscience'', p 134 A combination of school administrator and zealou ...

and Joseph Goebbels and posed for his friend, the sculptor Arno Breker. In 1933 he became a Rotarian. He represented Germany in one of the art competitions at the 1936 Summer Olympics. He was not well thought of by

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

, however, and his works were removed from the "Großen Deutschen Kunstausstellung" at the Haus der Kunst in 1937. He was commissioned to paint a portrait of

Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld , house = Lippe , father = Prince Bernhard of Lippe , mother = Armgard von Cramm , birth_date = , birth_name = Count Bernhard of Biesterfeld , birth_place = Jena, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Germany , death_date = ...

in 1938, and stayed with the Dutch royals at

Soestdijk Palace Soestdijk Palace ( nl, Paleis Soestdijk ) is a palace formerly belonging to the Dutch Royal Family. It consists of a central block and two wings. Although named after the village of Soestdijk, which is largely in the municipality of Soest, the ...

. Von König was nominated by

Albert Bormann Albert Bormann (2 September 19028 April 1989) was a German National Socialist Motor Corps (NSKK) officer, who rose to the rank of '' Gruppenführer'' (''Generalleutnant'') during World War II. Bormann served as an adjutant to Adolf Hitler, and ...

for the

Goethe Medal The Goethe Medal, also known as the Goethe-Medaille, is a yearly prize given by the Goethe-Institut honoring non-Germans "who have performed outstanding service for the German language and for international cultural relations". It is an offici ...

in 1941, but was not selected. Soon after, he was named an honorary member of the

Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (german: link=no, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien) is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. History The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy modelled on the Accademia di Sa ...

, by Baldur von Schirach. He was also a member of the Deutscher Künstlerbund. In 1943, after his studio in Berlin was destroyed by an Allied bombing, he moved to Tutzing, where he died the following year.''König, Leo von'' in: Hans Vollmer (Ed.): ''Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler des XX. Jahrhunderts. Dritter Band (K-P)'', E. A. Seemann, Leipzig 1999 (Studienausgabe). (S. 80f)

Selected paintings

File:König Leo Fritz Nemitz@Nieders. Landesmuseum20160811.JPG, Portrait of the art historian, Fritz Nemitz File:Konig-Dance.jpg, Before the Dance File:Konig-Woman.jpg, Young Woman (his wife, Anna) with a Cat File:1907 Koenig am Fruehstueckstisch anagoria.JPG, At the Breakfast Table

References

External links

Leo von König
@ the Art Signature Dictionary
ArtNet: More works by Von König.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Konig, Leo von 20th-century German painters 20th-century German male artists German male painters 1871 births 1944 deaths German portrait painters Artists from Braunschweig Prussian Academy of Arts alumni Académie Julian alumni Olympic competitors in art competitions