Oskar Merté, son of the painting couple Heinrich and Emilie Merté, started his career as a draftsman and illustrator in Munich around 1900, including for the humorous magazine 'Fliegenden Blättern'. From the 1920s, and especially in the 1930s, he specialized in painting scenes with horses, such as hunting groups and horse races. Merté received his education at the academy in Munich.