Leo von Klenze
Leo von Klenze
"Never has there been, and never will there be, more than one art of building, namely, that which was brought to perfection during the epoch of the prosperity and civilization of Greece."
--- Leo von Klenze
Leo von Klenze (1784-1864) is most famous for his work as King Ludwig's court architect. He was one of the most celebrated architects of his time, rivaled only by his friend, Karl Friedrich Schinkel in Berlin.
Klenze was also an accomplished painter and writer, as well as an avid collector of important contemporary German art. Klenze sold some 58 landscapes and genre paintings to Ludwig in 1841, and these became part of the initial collection of the Neue Pinakothek museum when it was established in 1853.
In addition, he served as an art agent for Ludwig, as well as a diplomat.
Klenze was born in Hildesheim in Lower Saxony. He was the son of a prosperous magistrate who tried to dissuade him from becoming an architect because he was doubtful that the profession could provide an adequate income. His father allowed him nonetheless to attend the Bauakademie (Building Academy) in Berlin.
Klenze's success at the academy prompted his father to allow him to visit Paris and London, and then make a Grand Tour to Italy and Greece, where he became enamoured of classical architecture. He is said to have made 26 trips to Italy during his lifetime.
After his first stay in Italy, Klenze was appointed Court Architect in Kassel to Napoleon's brother, Jerome Bonaparte, the King of Westphalia. Klenze built his first theater there. Following Jerome's downfall in 1813, Klenze moved to Paris with his wife, Felicitas.
Crown Prince Ludwig met Klenze in 1815 and persuaded him to move to Munich to take the lead in a major urban renewal project which predated Baron Haussmann in Paris. Their relationship through the years was an adversarial, often contentious, one. Klenze was the chief architect, but Ludwig was the head contractor.
Later, even though he had become a multi-millionaire and one of the most successful and influential architects of the 19th century, Klenze would complain: "Oh, miserable fate, its existence based on a prince's shifting patronage. I made this mistake at the highest level, but then what could I do after taking the first step? "
"Oh! It's true, I have my Lord to thank for almost all that I have gained materially and what I am ... but believe me, I have experienced bitter, bitter moments with him."
His first project for Ludwig was the Glyptothek, begun in 1816 and completed in 1830. During the progress of the Glyptothek, he worked on other buildings, including the Reitbahn, or Riding-house, 1822; the KriegsMinisterium, or War Office, 1824; the Odeon, 1826; Allerheiligen Kapelle, 1826; Alte Pinakothek, 1826; the Königsbau and Festbau, 1827; Prince Maximilian's Palace, 1828; and the Ionic Monopteros, or Polychromic Temple in the " English Garden," 1833.
Klenze, directed by Ludwig, created the plan for the Ludwigstrasse, the grand boulevard running 1.2 kilometers from the Odeonsplatz in front of the Residenz to the Siegestor (Triumphal Arch).
In 1830, Klenze began work on the Walhalla, the Hall of Fame of German Heroes.
A three-volume collection of the correspondence between Ludwig and Klenze was published under the direction of Dr. Hubert Glaser, the first in 1998 and the last in 2011. The work totals 6,000 pages with 1,600 letters.
Herr und Knecht (Lord and Servant) - Bayerischer Rundfunk
Leo von Klenze: Der Mann, der Münchens Bild prägte - Bayerischer Rundfunk
--- Leo von Klenze
Leo von Klenze (1784-1864) is most famous for his work as King Ludwig's court architect. He was one of the most celebrated architects of his time, rivaled only by his friend, Karl Friedrich Schinkel in Berlin.
Klenze was also an accomplished painter and writer, as well as an avid collector of important contemporary German art. Klenze sold some 58 landscapes and genre paintings to Ludwig in 1841, and these became part of the initial collection of the Neue Pinakothek museum when it was established in 1853.
In addition, he served as an art agent for Ludwig, as well as a diplomat.
Klenze was born in Hildesheim in Lower Saxony. He was the son of a prosperous magistrate who tried to dissuade him from becoming an architect because he was doubtful that the profession could provide an adequate income. His father allowed him nonetheless to attend the Bauakademie (Building Academy) in Berlin.
Klenze's success at the academy prompted his father to allow him to visit Paris and London, and then make a Grand Tour to Italy and Greece, where he became enamoured of classical architecture. He is said to have made 26 trips to Italy during his lifetime.
After his first stay in Italy, Klenze was appointed Court Architect in Kassel to Napoleon's brother, Jerome Bonaparte, the King of Westphalia. Klenze built his first theater there. Following Jerome's downfall in 1813, Klenze moved to Paris with his wife, Felicitas.
Crown Prince Ludwig met Klenze in 1815 and persuaded him to move to Munich to take the lead in a major urban renewal project which predated Baron Haussmann in Paris. Their relationship through the years was an adversarial, often contentious, one. Klenze was the chief architect, but Ludwig was the head contractor.
Later, even though he had become a multi-millionaire and one of the most successful and influential architects of the 19th century, Klenze would complain: "Oh, miserable fate, its existence based on a prince's shifting patronage. I made this mistake at the highest level, but then what could I do after taking the first step? "
"Oh! It's true, I have my Lord to thank for almost all that I have gained materially and what I am ... but believe me, I have experienced bitter, bitter moments with him."
His first project for Ludwig was the Glyptothek, begun in 1816 and completed in 1830. During the progress of the Glyptothek, he worked on other buildings, including the Reitbahn, or Riding-house, 1822; the KriegsMinisterium, or War Office, 1824; the Odeon, 1826; Allerheiligen Kapelle, 1826; Alte Pinakothek, 1826; the Königsbau and Festbau, 1827; Prince Maximilian's Palace, 1828; and the Ionic Monopteros, or Polychromic Temple in the " English Garden," 1833.
Klenze, directed by Ludwig, created the plan for the Ludwigstrasse, the grand boulevard running 1.2 kilometers from the Odeonsplatz in front of the Residenz to the Siegestor (Triumphal Arch).
In 1830, Klenze began work on the Walhalla, the Hall of Fame of German Heroes.
A three-volume collection of the correspondence between Ludwig and Klenze was published under the direction of Dr. Hubert Glaser, the first in 1998 and the last in 2011. The work totals 6,000 pages with 1,600 letters.
Herr und Knecht (Lord and Servant) - Bayerischer Rundfunk
Leo von Klenze: Der Mann, der Münchens Bild prägte - Bayerischer Rundfunk
Leo von Klenze (1831) - Bust by Ludwig Wilhelm Wichmann
Leo von Klenze (1856) - Photo by Franz Hanfstaengl
King's Throne Room in The Residenz
The Königsbau Throne Room by Leo von Klenze, Munich's leading exponent of neoclassicism.
Landscape with the Castle of Massa di Carrara (1827) - Leo von Klenze