Franz Heinrich Gref

Franz Heinrich Gref was born on December 14, 1872 in Stühlingen, Baden, and died on September 17, 1957 in Weilimdorf. He was a respected German painter whose works are best known for their artistic designs in churches and public buildings.

His artistic talent was recognized early on, and Gref studied at several renowned institutions, including the Academy in Munich under Christian Adam Landenberger and Moritz Weinholdt, the Karlsruhe School of Arts and Crafts under Ludwig Schmid-Reutte and the Stuttgart Academy under Leopold von Kalckreuth and Robert von Haug.

Gref became particularly well known through his collaboration with the architect Theodor Fischer, with whom he realized artistic designs for various churches such as in Ludwigsburg-Eglosheim and Stuttgart. He created murals for churches in Neuneck and Winnenden, in the garrison church in Ulm and in public places such as the market hall in Stuttgart and the secondary schools in Kirchheim/Teck and Tübingen.

An outstanding work by Gref are his four large murals from 1914 on the market hall in Stuttgart, which depict farmers, peasants and winegrowers and are still preserved today. These mineral color paintings in Secco technique were last restored in 2014/15.

Despite his membership of the NSDAP from 1933 to 1945, Gref was awarded the Cross of Merit (Steckkreuz) of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1952.

Franz Heinrich Gref died in Weilimdorf at the age of 84.