Painter, engraver, printer and draughtsman John Philipp was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1872. He studied at the Art Academy in Munich under Johann Leonard Raab and Karl von Marr from 1893-98. In 1904 he moved to Berlin, where he worked for five years and befriended German realist painter Adolph von Menzel (1815-1905) the year before the latter’s death. Philipp became well-known for his portraits of key international personalities including Rodin, the German Prince Regent, and Albert Einstein. His portrait of Professor Eugen D’Albert, a Scottish-born pianist and composer, was included in the 1924 Art Exhibition at the Glaspalast in Munich.
John Philipp died in Hamburg, Germany in 1938. His work is included in UK public collections including the Ben Uri Collection and the British Museum, and in collections abroad including Berlin National Gallery, The Brooklyn Museum, The Hamburger Kunsthalle Art Museum, The Museum for Hamburg History, Hamburg City Hall, and Magdeburg Museum, Germany.
