Leo von Klenze

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Leo von Klenze (Franz Karl Leopold von Klenze, February 29, 1784 - January 27, 1864) was a German neoclassicist architect, painter and writer. Court architect of Bavarian King Ludwig I, Leo von Klenze was one of the most prominent representatives of Greek revival style.

Von Klenze studied architecture in Berlin and Paris. Between 1808 and 1813 he was a court architect of Jérôme Bonaparte, King of Westphalia. Later he moved to Bavaria and in 1816 began to work as court architect of Ludwig I. The King's passion for Hellenism shaped the architectural style of von Klenze. He built many neoclassical buildings in Munich, including Ruhmeshalle and Monopteros temple. On Königsplatz he designed probably the best known modern Hellenistic architectural ensemble. Near Regensburg he built the Walhalla temple, named after Valhalla, the home of gods in Norse mythology.

Ruhmeshalle in Munich

When Greece won its independence, the son of Ludwig I Otto became the first king of the country. Von Klenze was invited to Athens to submit plans of city reconstruction in the style of Ancient Greece. Russian Emperor Nicholas I commissioned von Klenze to design a building for the New Hermitage, a public museum that housed Greek, Roman, and Egyptian antiquities. Von Klenze also designed and arranged museum galleries in Munich, including the Glyptothek and Alte Pinakothek.

Von Klenze was not only an architect, but also an accomplished painter and draughtsman. In many of his paintings ancient buildings were depicted. Those served as models for his own architectural projects. Klenze studied ancient architecture during his travels to Italy and Greece. He also participated in excavations of ancient buildings in Athens and submitted projects for the restoration of the Acropolis.

Klenze collected works of important contemporary German painters. He sold his collection, including 58 landscapes and genre paintings, to King Ludwig I in 1841. These paintings form the core of the Neue Pinakothek museum's collection.

Von Klenze died in 1864 and was buried in Südfriedhof cemetery in Munich.

[edit] Architectural works

The New Hermitage was one of the first museums designed specifically to house art collections.

In Munich (München):
- Glyptothek (1816-1830)
- Alte Pinakothek (1826-1836)
- Residenz - Königsbau, Festsaalbau and the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche (1826-1842)
- Monopteros temple in Englischer Garten (1836)
- Propyläen Gate (1846-1862)
- Ruhmeshalle (1850)
- Monopteros in the park of Nymphenburg Palace
- Ludwigstraße.
Ballhouse in Wilhelmshöhe castle park, (Kassel) (1809-1810)
Ismaning castle (1816) built for a stepson of Napoleon, Eugen Beauharnais, and his spouse.
Walhalla temple near Regensburg (1816-1842)
Neues Schloss (New Palace) at Pappenheim (1819-1820)
New Hermitage in St. Petersburg,Russia (1839-1852)
Catholic church of St. Dionysios the Areopagite in Athens,Greece (1853-1865)
Befreiungshalle in Kelheim (1863)