Franz Marc

Franz Marc, German painter and co-founder of the expressionist artists' group “Der Blaue Reiter”, was born in Munich on 8 February 1880. After graduating from high school, Marc began studying at the Munich Art Academy, where he intensively studied classical painting. In the years that followed, he developed a great fascination for nature and its depiction in art. Marc became particularly well known for his expressive depictions of animals, which he saw as symbols of the pure and primal nature. His works are characterised by vivid colours and a stylised, often abstract formal language. Together with artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, he founded ‘Der Blaue Reiter’ in 1911, a group of artists who pursued a new, spiritual direction in art. In 1914, Marc was drafted into the First World War. He fell near Verdun on 4 March 1916, but with his innovative use of form and colour, he left behind a body of work that had a significant influence on modern art.