Kampf studied under
Peter Janssen, among others, at the
Kunstakademie Düsseldorf from 1879 to 1881. In 1886, Kampf exhibited
The Last Statement. The painting's enormous size (112.2 x 142.5 in.) and controversial subject matter brought Kampf instant fame, and laid the foundation for the types of works he would be characterized by for the rest of his career. In 1888, a second painting,
Exhibition of remains of Emperor William I in Berlin, solidified Kampf's artistic renown as a painter specializing in historical documentation. After completing his education, he became a professor at the Kunstakademie and taught there until 1889, when he moved to
Berlin. There he continued to teach at the local Kunstakademie. In 1911, Kampf was assigned the role of creating the German pavilion at the
International Art Exposition of Rome. In 1914, Kampf and art historian Ludwig Justi created the "Künstler Club", a social group of prominent German artists:
Max Liebermann,
Max Slevogt,
Hugo Lederer,
Louis Tuaillonn, Gaul,
Fritz Klimsch, architect
Ludwig Hoffmann, musicians,
Richard Strauss and
Engelbert Humperdinck, and film director
Max Reinhardt. From 1915 to 1924, Kampf was president of the
Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Berlin. He also became a member of the
Prussian Academy of Arts, and gave drawing lessons, notably to
Prince August Wilhelm, son of
Wilhelm II. Between 1933 and 1945, the
Nazi regime in Germany actively promoted and censored forms of art in accordance with
Adolf Hitler's strong personal artistic preferences for classical style and heroic themes. After the Nazis
seized power, Kampf became a member of the
Nazi Party, his fluency with traditional German art styles and expertise at creating large-scale
murals allowing him to become one of the regime's contract artists. In 1939's "Great German Art Exhibition" (
Große Deutsche Kunstausstellung) at the
Haus der Kunst in
Munich, he was represented by numerous works, including
The Struggle of Light Against Darkness, on loan from the Reich Chancellery. This guaranteed him immunity from interference in artistic work during the Second World War. In 1944, at the age of 79, Kampf was one of 24 artists, architects, authors, composers, actors, and singers added to the
Gottbegnadeten list, meaning he was considered absolutely indispensable to German culture. In Lower Slesia, Kampf's wife, Mathilde, was killed in a traffic accident. Shortly before his death in 1950, at the age of 85, Kampf published a memoir called
Aus Meinem Leben. Throughout his life, Kampf held membership in the Association of Rhine-Westphalian Artists (honorary membership), the Society of German Watercolorists and the Association of German Illustrators, and he belonged to the Society of Berlin Artists in Berlin (1900–1930). In Düsseldorf, Kampf belonged to the
Malkasten Artists‘ Society (1887–1898, honorary member after 1947), the St. Luke’s Artist’s Club (1892–1903), the Society of Düsseldorfer Artists, and to the Free Federation of Düsseldorf Artists. Kampf's father, August Kampf was an Aachen painter and Imperial court photographer. Kampf's older brother,
Eugen, was also a well known painter. == Style ==