Karl von Piloty

* 01.10.1826 in Munich; ✝ 21.07.1886 in Ambach (Münsing)

Director of Fine Arts Academy Munich

Biography

Karl von Piloty took his first artistic steps under the auspices of his father, a producer of old masters. He was particularly impressed by the Belgian history painters, whose works he later copied in order better to study them. From 1848 onwards he went on extended study trips to Italy, Belgium and France, and afterwards began his artistic career with genre-pictures. He won fame with his painting Seni before the Corpse of Wallenstein (1855), and in the following years specialized in history painting. He was made Professor by the Munich Academy of Fine Arts in 1856 and then elevated to the position of Director in 1874.  Artists such as Franz von Lenbach, Franz Defregger, Rudolf Epp and Hans Makart emerged under his influence and went on to gain renown.

Karl von Piloty contributed, amongst other works, The Death of Caesar to the Shakespeare-Gallerie volume he produced together with Adolph von Menzel and Eduard von Grützner.

• Badende Mädchen (1849).
• Caesars Tod (1865).
• Allegorie Monachia (1879).

Literature

Primary Literature

• Shakespeare-Gallerie. With Eduard von Grützner and Adolph von Menzel. Berlin, 1886.

Secondary Literature

• Baumstark, Reinhold/Büttner, Frank (ed.): Großer Auftritt. Piloty und die Historienmalerei. Köln, 2003.
• Härtl-Kasulke, Claudia: Karl Theodor Pilotys Weg zur Historienmalerei, 1826 – 1855. München, 1991.

Album pages with this person

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