Max Von Schmaedel

Born in Augsburg, Germany, Max Von Schmaedel (1856-1939) was a German painter who was famous for his work in portraiture and genre painting. Schmaedel studied painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Art in Munich. He served as an apprentice to Max Adamo, Carl Theodor von Piloty and Alexander von Wagner. After working in Munich for a short duration, he went to Massachusetts, USA from where he returned with his wife and a child to settle.

Schmaedel was a part of the Allgemeine Deutsche Kunstgenossenschaft, the first national professional association made for visual artists of Germany. It was because of this association that Schmaedel was able to take part in multiple exhibitions in Glaspalast, having great success in the “German and Historical Art Exhibition”. He was also a part of the Munich Secession, which was formed as a spin-off of the Munich Artists’ Cooperative to defend painters such as Schmaedel against the paternalism of the art industry and its conservative policies.

Schmaedel represented his work multiple times at the Munich Glass Palace. He also exhibited his portraits at the Royal Academy of Fine Art in Berlin. Most of his work included oil-on-canvas paintings of scenes from real life, like Girls in Garden, or portraits of famous people. A dash of realism can be observed alongside the balance of light against the dark, highlighting his subjects masterfully. 

His art pieces continue to be auctioned to date with prices exponentially increasing. Schmaedel also did some of his work on panels, maintaining the traditional integrity and the conservative techniques he learnt from his time at the Royal Academy of Fine Art. Schmaedel lived and worked in Munich till his demise.