14 Facts About Franz Stuck

Franz Ritter von Stuck, born Franz Stuck, was a German painter, sculptor, printmaker, and architect.

In 1906, Franz Stuck was awarded the Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown and was henceforth known as Ritter von Franz Stuck.

Franz Stuck first became well known by cartoons for Fliegende Blatter, and vignette designs for programmes and book decoration.

In 1892 Franz Stuck co-founded the Munich Secession, and executed his first sculpture, Athlete.

Also during 1893, Franz Stuck was awarded a gold medal for painting at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and was appointed to a royal professorship.

In 1897 Franz Stuck married an American widow, Mary Lindpainter, and began work designing his own residence and studio, the Villa Franz Stuck.

Franz Stuck continued to be well respected among young artists as professor at the Munich Academy, even after his artistic styles became unfashionable.

Franz Stuck was a member of the International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers.

Franz Stuck's work was part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the 1928 Summer Olympics.

Franz von Stuck died on August 30,1928, in Munich; his funeral address memorialized him as "the last prince of art of Munich's great days".

Franz Stuck is buried in the Munich Waldfriedhof next to his wife Mary.

Franz Stuck paid much attention to the frames for his paintings and generally designed them himself with such careful use of panels, gilt carving and inscriptions that the frames must be considered as an integral part of the overall piece.

In 1968 the Villa Franz Stuck was opened to the public; it is a museum.

In Robert Waite's 1977 book The Psychopathic God: Adolf Hitler and numerous other sources it is noted that Franz Stuck was Hitler's favorite painter from childhood on.