Gutach Woman in a Meadow

Franz Xaver Gräßel, a German painter renowned for his genre paintings, was born on November 24, 1861, in Obersasbach, Baden, and passed away on March 4, 1948, in Emmering. Growing up on a mill near Obersasbach, Gräßel's early education took place at the higher civic school in Achern. His artistic journey began at the Karlsruhe Art Academy from 1878 to 1884, where he studied under Conrad Hoff, specializing in genre and portrait painting. Gräßel's career took a significant turn in 1885 when he was appointed as a teacher at the Gymnasium in St. Stephan, Strasbourg. Between 1886 and 1890, he furthered his studies at the Munich Academy under Wilhelm von Lindenschmit, following extensive study trips. Gäßel's oeuvre in the 1880s was predominantly characterized by rural and peasant motifs, earning him the nickname 'Entenmaler' (Duck Painter) due to his fondness for depicting poultry. However, his artistic repertoire also included portraits and landscapes. In 1900, Gräßel settled in Emmering near Fürstenfeldbruck, joining a colony of artists known as the 'Brucker Maler.' His marriage to Wilhelmine 'Minna' Auguste Müller in 1901 marked a personal milestone, while his appointment as a royal academy professor at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts in 1911 by Prince Regent Luitpold underscored his professional acclaim. Gräßel's legacy was further cemented when he became the honorary chairman of the newly founded Brucker Artists' Association in 1924. Despite his artistic contributions, Gräßel's affiliation with the NSDAP in 1932 and his participation in the Great German Art Exhibition in Munich during the late 1930s remain contentious aspects of his biography. His works, celebrated in their time, are held in prestigious collections across Germany, though his later years were marred by the theft of two paintings from Emmering's town hall in 2006.