Karl RICKELT

Karl Rickelt was born on September 25, 1857 in Lippstadt and died on January 24, 1944 in Munich. He was a German painter and illustrator.
After his initial artistic training in Lippstadt and Münster, Rickelt moved to Munich in 1877 to attend the art school there. In April 1878, he became a student of Ludwig von Löfftz at the Academy of Fine Arts. Karl Rickelt is listed in the entries of the Academy’s 1878 registration book with the entry date April 30, 1878. In 1911 he married Maria Lauff (1866-1949) in Berlin.
Rickelt was a member of the Münchner Künstlergenossenschaft and the Reichsverband Bildender Künstler Deutschlands in Berlin. He was known for his genre paintings and illustrations. Rickelt was described as the most industrious and popular “Führer painter”. Between 1923 and 1944, he painted 29 portraits of Adolf Hitler in various poses. In recognition of his work, Gauleiter Paul Giesler presented him with the Goethe Medal for Art and Science in 1942, which was awarded by the Führer. Another portrait of Adolf Hitler, painted by Rickelt, was presented to the municipality of Solln as a gift, with a sign on the frame bearing the text: “Honorary gift from the municipality of Solln for Lord Mayor Pg. Karl Fiehler on the occasion of the incorporation of Solln into the capital of the movement on 1.12.1938”.
His grave is located in the Melaten cemetery in Cologne (plot 42 no. 5).