Peter Koch

Peter Koch (October 8, 1874 in Benjental near Deidesheim – August 10, 1956 in Gimmeldingen) was an important German painter, known for his figurative works and later landscape paintings.

Koch was born in the “Obere Mühle” in Benjental, where his father Johann Koch worked as a blacksmith. After his initial training at a painting school, Koch studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. There he studied under Professors Gabriel von Hackl and Carl von Marr, among others.

After further training with Heinrich von Zügel, Koch worked in Munich, Berlin and Switzerland. He quickly gained recognition through exhibitions in Munich (1908), the Berlin Secession (1911/12), Basel (1912) and Mannheim (1913). In 1914 he left Germany and spent eight years in the USA, particularly in the states of New York and New Jersey, where he became a member of the Society of Independent Artists.

Koch returned to Germany in 1922 and settled in Gimmeldingen. There he was appointed mayor and in 1954 was made an honorary citizen. While his early works were predominantly figurative depictions, he later devoted himself increasingly to landscape painting.