Stages of his life

Michel Koch was born on November 6, 1853 in Edingen as the eighth child of the master shoemaker and farmer Johann Peter Koch (1806 – 1871) and Karoline Diesbach (1811 – 1899).

The family home at Neckarhäuser Str. 11 – today Hauptstr. 125 – was demolished in 2022. A new building is currently under construction here.

He attended elementary school in Edingen, then the Grand Ducal Citizen School in Ladenburg from 1867 to 1870.
– III. Class (1867 / 1868): Class teacher Riegel
– IV. Class (1868 / 1869): Class teacher Löser
– V. Class (1869 / 1870): Class teacher Schmerzer

Apprenticeship as a merchant in Mannheim.

From 1881 to 1888 studied at the Karlsruhe Academy of Art under Theodor Poeckh and Carl Hoff.
During his studies in Karlsruhe, he was financially supported by his brother-in-law Heinrich Gött (see account book of the pension office administrator Heinrich Gött; private property); apartment at Bahnhofstr. 42.
Creation of the painting „Homecoming of the son“ / „Meet again (Young man at the deathbed of his mother)“ / „too late“.

1890 Moves to Munich; various exhibitions in the Glaspalast; apartment at Blutenburgstr. 132, 3rd floor
1890 Laufenburg, Switzerland (May to mid-July)

1891 Studies at the Académie Julian in Paris, France (from January for a few weeks)
1891 Gut Schaffhausen (March to mid-June)

1892 (February) to 1893 (February) Gut Buck near Breisach

1892 Move to Munich; apartment at Linprunstr. 75, 3rd floor

1900 Move to Mannheim to K1, 13 (from 3.10. to 12.10. in U4, 13); shared apartment on the 3rd floor with his nephew and godson Prof. Michael Gött, whom he had previously portrayed.

The exhibition at the Kunsthalle Mannheim „Am farbigen Abglanz haben wir das Leben“ („At the colored reflection we have life“) caused a sensation and enthusiasm in 1912.

Each painting has a size of 130 x 165 cm.

The sixth painting „Irises“ (purple) was unfortunately destroyed after the 2nd World War. An image of this could not be traced.

The biography of Georg Jakob Best mentions that Michel Koch ran a portrait painting school in Mannheim in 1915. He taught oil and pastel painting there.

1923 Appointment as 1st honorary citizen of Edingen on the occasion of his 70th birthday.

Death on November 30 or December 1, 1927 in Mannheim (heart attack).

The grave of honor at Mannheim Central Cemetery was dissolved in 2009 after neither the family / heirs nor the municipality of Edingen-Neckarhausen had commissioned an extension.

Last update: February 17, 2024