He was born in
Oberlangenau. His passion for art developed gradually, beginning at the Gymnasium in
Neustadt, where he was known for his humorous drawings and caricatures of his instructors. In 1874, he became a student at the
Academy of Fine Arts Munich, which he attended until the spring of 1879. His most influential instructor was
Wilhelm von Diez, who led him away from
genre painting to a more impressionistic style In 1882, he took a long journey, which included visits to Paris, the Netherlands,
Holstein, the German seaports and then back to Munich, where he became friends with
Fritz von Uhde,
Bruno Piglhein and
Max Liebermann. The next year, he had a display at the Munich International Art Exhibition, then travelled again to Paris and the Netherlands. From 1884 to 1888, he lived in Berlin, but returned to Munich and began painting in naturalistic colors with strong lighting effects.
The Munich Academy In 1891, at the young age of 36, he was appointed to the Munich Academy, where he replaced
Friedrich August von Kaulbach, who had resigned suddenly. His studio was often referred to as the "Geniekasten" (Genius Box). Due to the pervasive influence of
Franz von Lenbach, very little exhibition space was available for any art that was considered modern. In 1892, shortly after being appointed a professor, this problem motivated Hoecker to become one of the founding members of the Munich Secession, acting as its secretary. The Secession ultimately inspired similar movements in Berlin and other cities.
Scandal In 1897, a scandal broke out when it was rumored that Hoecker had used a male prostitute as a model for a painting of the
Madonna. Eventually, the scandal became more personal in nature, and he chose to resign from the academy. He then travelled to
Capri, where he stayed at the
Villa Lysis, home of industrialist and poet
Jacques d'Adelswärd-Fersen, who had left Paris in the wake of his own scandal. While there, Hoecker painted several portraits of Fersen's lover,
Nino Cesarini, a professional model. The
Jugend magazine published one of his Nino portraits in 1904 – a fully clothed version. By 1901 he returned to
Oberlangenau. In 1910, he died in Munich of what was diagnosed as "
Roman Malaria". == Posthumous recognition ==