The Life and Art of Eugen Düssel
Eugen Düssel was a German painter who specialized in portraits and genre scenes. Born in Cologne, Germany, he began his formal artistic training in 1897 at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, where he studied under Ernst Roeber, Willy Spatz, and Peter Janssen the Elder. His education continued at the Königliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste München under Carl von Marr, before he returned to the Düsseldorf Academy to become a master student in the painting class of Eduard von Gebhardt.
Settling in Düsseldorf, Düssel became a member of the Verein zur Veranstaltung von Kunstausstellungen. His body of work includes various studies and exhibitions, such as his participation in the 1926 Große Kunstausstellung Düsseldorf (GeSoLei) with the works Männerkopf I and Männerkopf II. His artistic output is characterized by his focus on the human form and everyday life through his chosen genres.
Notable Works and Legacy
Düssel's contributions to art history include several notable pieces and studies. His 1900 portrait sketch was acquired by the collection of the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. One of his significant works, the 1919 painting The Shepherds in the Christmas Night, was acquired by the city of Düsseldorf's artist welfare department as an emergency purchase and was transferred to the Städtische Kunstsammlung in 1920. This specific work was later confiscated in 1937 as part of the "degenerate art" designation, and its current whereabouts remain unknown.
