Rudolf von Alt

_{Wien 1812 - 1905 Wien}

Rudolf von Alt was born in 1812 in Vienna. Initially a student of his father, he began studying at the Academy in Vienna in 1825 under the landscapist Josef Mössmer. In 1828 he undertook a series of journeys – initially as a companion and fellow painter – with his father through Bavaria, the Austrian Crown Lands, and Italy. These were followed by annual study trips through all the Austrian Crown Lands, even including the Crimean Peninsula, until well into his old age. Alt received numerous official commissions that gave rise to a large number of titles and honors. In 1867 he declined a professorship at the Academy. He was one of the founding members of the Vienna Künstlerhaus and from 1874 onward its president. Because of his outstanding achievements he was raised to the rank of nobleman in 1882 and chosen by a younger generation of artists to be the honorary president of the newly founded Vienna Secession. Rudolf von Alt was one of the most popular 19th century artists in Vienna and his artistic œuvre contains around 5,000 works, mostly watercolours, that capture landscapes but also architecture in Austria at the time in a topographically exact and highly atmospheric manner. Rudolf von Alt died in 1905 in Vienna.