Happy Birthday Franz Marc

Munich is home to the world's biggest collection of works from the Blaue Reiter - the Blue Rider. At the center of the collection is Franz Marc, a native son of Munich.

On February 8, 1880, Franz Marc was born in Munich. He was a founding member of "Blue Rider," a German Expressionist Art movement.  Marc gave an emotional meaning or purpose to the colors he used in his work: blue was used to portray masculinity and spirituality, yellow represented feminine joy, and red encased the sound of violence. He was killed at the Battle of Verdun in 1916 and the Nazi attacked his art as "degenerate." Even if your not a big art-lover, the Lenbachhaus in Munich is worthy of a visit when you are here! You can learn more about Franz Marc and the Lenbachhaus here.