Study head of nostalgia, Meyer-Waldeck Kunz (1859-1953)

Study head of nostalgia, portrait of a melancholy-looking boy in a white shirt. Oil/canvas, signed lower left Kunz Meyer

Meyer-Waldeck Kunz, an artist of Latvian origin, was born on July 2, 1859 in Mittau (today Jelgava), Latvia.
The artist spent his childhood in Russia, where his father worked as a professor at the University of St. Petersburg and as a newspaper editor at the time.
He painted figures, genre scenes, portraits and interiors. He was also an illustrator.

He also attended high school in Gotha, Germany. In 1879, he studied at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts under the masters Strahuber, Raab and Lindenschmidt, until 1887.
After graduating, Meyer-Waldeck began working as a freelance painter. He exhibited widely in Germany's major art halls and, in 1894, was awarded a medal at the Munich Salon.

During his working life, Meyer-Waldeck traveled to Russia, Italy and Portugal, where he produced some of his earliest paintings.

From 1908 to 1910, he lived in Dallas, Texas, where he was director of an art school. Later, he was appointed professor in Germany.
He died in 1953 in Castel Neuburg an der Inn, Germany. Today, his works can be found in private and public collections, including the Berlin Museum and the Bremen Museum.