author
Adolph Bayersdorfer
1842–1901
A lively figure in Munich’s cultural world, this 19th-century German art historian combined sharp criticism with a deep love of painting and aesthetics. He is also remembered for an unusual second talent: composing chess problems.
1 Audiobook
Deutsche Humoristen, 6. Band (von 8) Humoristische Erzählungen
by E. T. A. (Ernst Theodor Amadeus) Hoffmann, Bettina von Arnim, Adolph Bayersdorfer, Friedrich Theodor Fischer, Ludwig Thoma, Henry F. Urban
About the author
Born in Erlenbach am Main on June 7, 1842, and later active in Munich, Adolph Bayersdorfer built a reputation as a German art historian, critic, and writer on art. He studied philosophy and art history, and became closely involved with the artistic life of his time, especially in Bavaria.
He is remembered for thoughtful art criticism and for championing careful, informed ways of looking at paintings and attribution. Beyond his work in art history, he also had a notable parallel interest in chess composition, which makes him a particularly distinctive cultural figure of the late 19th century.
Bayersdorfer died in Munich on December 21, 1901. His legacy survives through his writings, his role in German art criticism, and the portrait images and accounts that connect him with the wider artistic circle around figures such as Arnold Böcklin.