German painter. The son of a master builder, he trained for his father's profession at the Königliche Landwirtschafts- und Gewerbeschule in Landshut, also working from 1851 in the sculpture studio of Anselm Sickinger (1807-73) in Munich. His elder brother, Karl August Lenbach (1828-1847), had already become involved with painting, and it was through him that Franz Lenbach met Johann Baptist Hofner (1832-1913), an artist who had studied at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich. They went on sketching expeditions together, and Hofner introduced him to plein-air painting. After spending two semesters at the Polytechnische Schule in Augsburg (1852-53), and some months in the studio of Albert Gräfle (1807-1889), a portrait painter in Munich, Lenbach entered the Akademie in Munich in 1854. In 1857 he attended the classes of Karl Theodor Piloty (later von Piloty), who was renowned for his history paintings. Lenbach produced his first important painting, the Angel Appearing to Hagar in the Desert (1858; destroyed), while in this class, followed by Peasants Trying to Take Shelter from a Thunderstorm in a Chapel (1858; destroyed). The sale of this picture, together with a scholarship, enabled him to accompany Piloty on a journey to Rome with Ferdinand von Piloty (1828-1895), Theodor Schüz (1830-1900) and Carl Ebert (1821-1885). In Italy he made many oil and pencil sketches that inspired the Arch of Titus (1860; Szépmûvészeti Múzeum, Budapest) and the Shepherd Boy (1860; Munich, Schack-Galerie), both of which were finished after his return to Germany. The works of this first journey were painted from nature and were frequently attacked for their "trivial realism." From 1863 to 1868 he copied Old Masters from the museums and private collections of Germany, Italy, and Spain and sold them to private collectors, especially Count Schack. During the late 1860s he traveled extensively, to Spain, Vienna, and Berlin. At the end of the 1860s, he settled in Munich and became internationally successful thanks to the many portraits he painted of society personalities of the time, including Peggy Guggenheim, Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt, and Otto Bismarck. At the beginning of the 1870s, not only did the artist substitute his previous bright palette with darker tones, but he also started using light more effectively, especially in his portraits. His style was to have a remarkable influence on the art of the time. He painted various subjects, but is remembered chiefly as the most successful German portraitist of his day. His rich Venetian technique combined with his solid, respectful characterization appealed greatly to the prosperous ruling classes of Germany. He painted about a hundred portraits of Bismarck, whom he first met in 1878 and with whom he had a reserved friendship. Lenbach was a dominant figure in Munich's artistic life in the late 19th century; his splendid house there, which he designed himself, is now a museum. In 1882 Lenbach was granted nobility, and in 1900 he won the Grand Prix for painting in Paris. He died in Munich on May 6, 1904. //