Alexander Demetrius Goltz (25 January 1857,

Püspökladány Püspökladány (pronounced ) is the sixth largest town of Hajdú-Bihar county in North Eastern Hungary with a population of approximately 16,000 people. It is located southwest of Debrecen at the juncture of three regions: Sárrét, Hortobágy ...

– 14 May 1944,

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

) was a painter from Austria-Hungary and later Austria. He was also an illustrator and scenic designer.

Biography

He was the son of a railway engineer and, after the age of two, grew up in Vienna. From 1874 to 1875, he studied with

Otto Seitz Otto Seitz, was a 19th-century German painter; born 3 September 1846 in Munich. As a professor with the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, he was the mentor of many major artists. Works His primary subjects were genre scenes, floral still life and ...

at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. In the second half of the 19th centur ...

. Then, for the next two years, he was a student of

Anselm Feuerbach Anselm Feuerbach (12 September 1829 – 4 January 1880) was a German Painting, painter. He was the leading neoclassicism, neoclassical painter of the German 19th-century school. Biography Early life Feuerbach was born at Speyer, the son of ...

at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna () is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. Founded in 1688 as a private academy, it is now a public university. The academy is also known for twice rejecting admission to a young Adolf Hitler in 1907 and 1908. ...

. His first exhibition was in 1876 and he became a member of the

Vienna Künstlerhaus The Künstlerhaus in Vienna's 1st district has accommodated the Künstlerhaus Vereinigung since 1868. It is located in the Ringstrassenzone in between Akademiestraße, Bösendorferstraße and Musikvereinsplatz. The building was erected betwee ...

. This was followed by several study trips, a stay in Munich from 1884 to 1888, and studies with

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (; 14 December 1824 – 24 October 1898) was a French painter known for his mural painting, who came to be known as "the painter for France". He became the co-founder and president of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Ar ...

in Paris. He finally returned to Vienna in 1892.Reinhard Müller
''Alexander Demetrius Goltz''
. In: ''Die Arbeitslosen von Marienthal'', Juni 2008; retrieved, 18 September 2011. Beginning as a history painter, he later turned to landscapes and portraits. From 1904 to 1907, he was in charge of the scenic equipment at the

Burgtheater The Burgtheater (; literally: "Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater", originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in ...

, then held the same position at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

from 1909 to 1910. During this time, he painted the portraits of numerous performers; notably

Josef Kainz Josef Gottfried Ignaz Kainz (2 January 1858 – 20 September 1910) was a male actor from Austria-Hungary. He was highly active in theatres in Austria-Hungary and the German Empire from 1873 to 1910. Revered as one of the greatest actors of th ...

. He was a member of the

Hagenbund The Hagenbund or Künstlerbund Hagen was a group of Austrian artists that formed in 1899. The group's name derived from the name Herr Hagen, the proprietor of an inn in Vienna which they frequented. Early history The group's most prominent member ...

from 1900 to 1911 and served as its President for the year 1906/07. During the First World War, he served as a

battle painter A war artist is an artist either commissioned by a government or publication, or self-motivated, to document first-hand experience of war in any form of illustrative or depictive record.Imperial War Museum (IWM)header phrase, "war shapes lives" ...

for the Imperial and worked at the fronts in Belgium, Russia, Italy, Serbia and Turkey. Most of these paintings are now on display at the Museum of Military History. From 1925 to 1929, he was President of the Artists' Cooperative at the Künstlerhaus. He was married twice. His second wife (whom he married in 1909) was the actress Mary Mell (1885-1954), sister of the writer,

Max Mell Max Mell (1882–1971) was an Austrian writer. He wrote plays, novels and screenplays. He was born in Maribor, then part of the Austrian Empire but now in Slovenia. He studied at Vienna University, and served in the Austrian military during World ...

. In 1927, he became a citizen of Vienna and is buried at the

Zentralfriedhof The Vienna Central Cemetery () is one of the largest cemeteries in the world by number of interred, and is the most well-known among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries. The cemetery's name is descriptive of its significance as Vienna's biggest cemet ...

Selected paintings

File:Alexander Demetrius Goltz - Die Besucherin 1919.jpg, The Visitor File:Goltz-Spring.jpg, Spring File:Alexander Demetrius Goltz Kainz als Torquato Tasso 1910.jpg, Josef Kainz as

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' (Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

Alexander Demetrius Goltz - Mädchen mit Puppe.jpg, Girl with a Puppet

References

External links

ArtNet: More works by Goltz.
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Goltz, Alexander Demetrius 1857 births 1944 deaths 19th-century Austrian painters 19th-century Austrian male artists 20th-century Austrian painters Austrian portrait painters Austrian illustrators Austrian scenic designers Expatriates in the German Empire Painters from Austria-Hungary Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni Military art People from Püspökladány 20th-century Austrian male artists

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links