Oswald Achenbach
1827 Dusseldorf ‐ 1905 Dusseldorf
Short information about the artist
Oswald Achenbach and his older brother Andreas went down as “brilliant brothers” in art history and were the most internationally renowned artists of the Düsseldorf School of Painting. The works of both landscape painters were purchased by museums and private collectors around the world. Their worldwide reputation attracted more than 100 young artists from Russia, America and Scandinavia to study in Dusseldorf.
Kunstwerke im Angebot
Verkaufte Kunstwerke
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More information about the artist
Oswald Achenbach and his older brother Andreas went down as “brilliant brothers” in art history and were the most internationally renowned artists of the Düsseldorf School of Painting. The works of both landscape painters were purchased by museums and private collectors around the world. Their worldwide reputation attracted more than 100 young artists from Russia, America and Scandinavia to study in Dusseldorf.
Düsseldorf Academy
Raised in Dusseldorf, Oswald Achenbach started attending the art academy at the age of eight. In 1841 he left the academy and traveled to Upper Bavaria and North Tyrol. Achenbach traveled to Northern Italy in 1845 with his friend and student Albert Flamm. Until 1850, the influence of academic teachers like Johann Wilhelm Schirmer can be seen in his works.
Italy
An initial experience for Oswald Achenbach was a trip to Italy, which at the beginning of the 1950s cast a spell over his artistic work on the Italian landscapes. In Italy he met the painters Arnold Böcklin, Ludwig Thiersch and Heinrich Dreber.
Honors
The young painter’s first exhibition successes were immediately followed by public recognition. In 1852 the Amsterdam Academy appointed the painter, who was just 25 years old, an honorary member. The academies of Petersburg, Rotterdam, Vienna, Berlin, Munich and Stockholm followed with the same distinction.
Professorship
In 1863 Oswald Achenbach inherited Hans Fredrik Gude and became professor of landscape painting at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. His students included Albert Arnz, Gregor von Bochmann and Themistocles von Eckenbrecher. Its worldwide reputation attracted more than 100 young painters from Russia, America and Scandinavia to study in Düsseldorf. Oswald Achenbach also recommended that his students study the works of his brother Andreas Achenbach and the works of William Turner and Gustave Courbet. In 1872 he resigned his professorship and in the following years went on a long trip to Italy via Florence, Rome, Naples to Sorrento and a trip to Northern Italy. In 1905 Oswald Achenbach died in Düsseldorf at the age of 77.
Museums and collections
His works can be found in numerous museums and private collections on all continents.