Josef Engelhartartist • painterWenen 1864-1941

The versatile genre painter Josef Engelhart studied technique in Vienna at the request of his father, but also attended the art academy in secret. When his parents discovered this, he was allowed to study at the Munich Academy. He then spent a year in Paris (1890/1891). Engelhart would thereafter remain an admirer of French Impressionism throughout his life, especially with regard to his use of colour and the application of lighting effects. Around 1900 he was one of the most successful painters in Austria and co-founder of the Vienna Secession. As there were increasing controversies with the young Austrian avant-garde in the 1920s, he devoted himself more and more to painting portraits. He also made a number of monumental sculptures.