Friedrich WEIDIG

Friedrich Weidig (May 26, 1859 in Giessen – September 28, 1933 in Munich) was a renowned German artist who made a name for himself as both a painter and a sculptor.

Born the son of an accountant, Weidig completed his training at the School of Arts and Crafts in Frankfurt am Main under the guidance of Professor Ferdinand Luthmer. He then continued his studies from 1881 to 1885 in the antiquities class at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, where he was taught by renowned professors such as Alexander Strähuber, Nikolaus Gysis and Franz von Seitz.

After completing his studies, Weidig settled in Munich, where he embarked on a distinguished career as a portrait painter. His works achieved particular recognition as they were often created as part of public commissions. His best-known portraits include depictions of personalities such as Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria (1911), Otto von Bismarck, Paul von Hindenburg, Adolf Hitler and Theodor Mommsen. Weidig showed a special ability to use older portraits as models and interpret them in his own works; for example, he based his portrait of Bismarck on a work by Franz von Lenbach.