Der Kakadu

Leo Putz prints bring sunlight on water, young women in boats and summer gardens bursting with colour into your home. Putz was a Tyrolean painter of the Munich Secession and the Jugendstil magazine Jugend, whose work moves from Art Nouveau through Impressionism toward Expressionism. Our collection of fine art prints covers his bathers and boat pictures, garden and picnic scenes, portraits and posters.

About Leo Putz

Leo Putz was born in Meran, South Tyrol, on 18 June 1869, the son of the town's mayor. At sixteen he began studying at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts under the history painter Gabriel von Hackl, then at the Académie Julian in Paris, and after military service with Paul Hoecker in Munich. He opened his first studio in 1897 and joined the Munich Secession the same year.

He worked for the weekly Jugend, many of his pictures appearing on its covers, and designed Art Nouveau posters, including for the Moderne Galerie in Munich. Museums in Dresden and Munich bought his work in 1903, and in 1909 he became a professor. From 1909 to 1914 he spent his summers at Schloss Hartmannsberg in the Chiemgau, painting outdoors with students such as the American Edward Cucuel; there he made his famous Boat Pictures and Bathers. In 1913 he married the landscape painter Frieda Blell.

In 1929 he moved with his family to Brazil and taught at the National School of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro, where the landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx was among his students. He returned to Germany in 1933, but as an opponent of the Nazis his art was branded "degenerate", and after repeated Gestapo interrogations he fled to South Tyrol. He died in Merano in 1940 after an operation.

Style and Subjects

Putz painted with bright, broken colour and lively brushwork, catching sunlight flickering through leaves and on water. His best-known pictures show young women relaxing in boats, bathing, picnicking or dancing in the open air, combining Impressionist light with the decorative line of Art Nouveau.

His colours grew bolder and more expressive over time, and in Brazil took on a tropical brilliance. He also painted portraits, landscapes and still lifes.

Famous Works

• The Picnic (1903). A sunny outdoor gathering from his early Munich years.
• Picnic (1904), Bavarian State Painting Collections, Munich. Another of his summer picnic scenes.
• Midsummer (1906), Detroit Institute of Arts. A bright scene of summer leisure.
• Moderne Galerie poster (1909). An Art Nouveau poster for the Munich gallery's exhibition of modern masters.
• Im Kahn (The Rowboat). Young women in a boat in dappled sunlight, from his Boat Pictures.
• Die Badenden (Hartmannsberg). Bathers at Hartmannsberg, from his famous Bathers series.
• Reigen (The Dance). Figures dancing in a ring in bright colour.
• Cara Sophia Köhler (1911). A stylish portrait from his Hartmannsberg years.

Decorating with Putz Prints

Putz's boat and bather pictures, like Im Kahn or Sommer (Hartmannsberg), bring summer light to a living room, bedroom or lakeside home, and suit both modern and Art Nouveau-inspired interiors.

His garden and picnic scenes, such as The Enchanted Garden, are cheerful in a dining room or sunroom, and his posters suit a hallway or study.

FAQ

Who was Leo Putz?

Leo Putz (1869–1940) was a painter from South Tyrol who worked in Munich, a member of the Munich Secession and the Jugend circle, whose art spans Art Nouveau, Impressionism and early Expressionism.

What are Leo Putz's most famous paintings?

His best-known works are the Boat Pictures and Bathers series, painted at Schloss Hartmannsberg between 1909 and 1914.

Did Leo Putz work in Brazil?

Yes. He moved to Brazil in 1929 and taught at the National School of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro, where Roberto Burle Marx was one of his students.

Where can I see Leo Putz's paintings?

The Bavarian State Painting Collections in Munich, the Dresden State Art Collections and the Detroit Institute of Arts hold his work.

Related Artists

• Edward Cucuel: American painter who studied with him at Hartmannsberg
• Franz von Stuck: leading Munich Secession painter of the same era
• Fritz Erler: fellow Munich Jugend artist