Hans Thoma counts among the most important German artists of the late 19th century.
It was not before 1890 that Hans Thoma saw his breakthrough as a painter. The artist had received vital inspiration from Realism and was in stimulating exchange with the artists Arnold Böcklin, Wilhelm Leibl and Wilhelm Trübner since the early 1870s. An exhibition in the Munich Kunstverein brought the decisive career boost, which was also the reason for his appointment as director of the Grand Ducal Kunsthalle and as professor at the academy in Karlsruhe. Hans Thoma dedicated his paintings and graphic art with a special verve to landscapes in a concept of nature that alternated between a clear Naturalism, a late romanticist atmosphere and Fin de Siècle symbolism. Additionally, he made numerous portraits as well as religious, allegoric or mythological scenes.
Hans Thoma's works are part of renowned public collections. The Hans-Thoma-Kunstmuseum in Bernau in the black forest has honored the artist with a permanent exhibition since 1949.