Lovis Corinth
Götz von Berlichingen, 1917

Alfred Flechtheim and Lovis Corinth

Franz Heinrich Louis Corinth studied painting from 1876 at the Kunstakademie in Königsberg under Otto Günther and from 1880 at the Kunstakademie in Munich under Franz von Defregger and Ludwig von Löfftz. In 1884 he had painting lessons in Antwerp and at the Académie Julian in Paris. After an interim period in Königsberg he moved to Berlin in 1888 where he took on the artist’s name Lovis Corinth. He moved to Munich in 1891. His painting ‘Diogenes’, which was exhibited in the Crystal Palace in Munich, was heavily criticised. In 1892 Corinth joined the Munich Secession, but one year later was among the founding members of the Freie Vereinigung. In 1896 he contributed to the founding of the Masonic Lodge ‘In Treue’. When his painting ‘Salome’ was turned down by the jury of the Munich Secession in 1897 he turned his attention to Berlin. From 1900 onwards an intensive contact to Max Liebermann, Walter Leistikow and Paul Cassirer evolved. In 1901 Corinth opened a school of painting in Berlin. He was a member of the Berlin Secession and regularly participated at their exhibitions from that time onwards. In 1901 Cassirer organised an exhibition of Corinth’s paintings. From 1906 Corinth worked on his autobiography. In December 1911 he suffered a severe stroke which left him paralysed down his left side. In an exhibition at Cassirer’s in 1913 more than 200 works were shown. In 1918 he was given the title of professor. In 1919 he became a member of the Berlin Akademie and in 1921 received an honorary doctorate from the University of Königsberg. The Nationalgalerie in Berlin marked his 65^th birthday in 1923 with an exhibition. In 1925 he received the honorary membership of the Bavarian Academy. Corinth died while on a trip to Holland. In 1937, 295 of his works were confiscated from public institutions.