The versatile artist Anton Schönecker was born on November 1, 1893 in Sokolov, then still in Falknov. The son of a carpenter, he trained as a photographer. Then he set out into the world to gain experience. After stays in Bratislava, Brussels, Berlin, and Munich, he was accepted to the Imperial and Royal Institute for the Teaching and Research of Graphic Arts in Vienna. During the First World War, he worked as a front-line painter. After the war, he began studying with the royal Bavarian court photographer Franz Grainer in Munich. In addition, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich from 1919 to 1923.
The memorial plaque was unveiled to the Sokolov native in 2008.
He also made a living as a sports illustrator for various publishing houses and for the renowned magazine Simplicisimus. During this time he also created numerous paintings and drawings of mountaineers and important Alpine mountains. In 1924, Schönecker returned to his hometown of Falknova and worked as a freelance artist. In the 1940s, his works were exhibited at the Great German Art Exhibition in the House of German Art in Munich. In 1944, he was called up for military service. After World War II, he lived and worked as a freelance artist from 1946 to 1949 in Partenkirchen, then until 1951 in Klais and from 1953 in Wangen, where he had a studio at Lindauer Tor.
A pair of elderly men from Cheb. Exhibition of the Sokolov Museum
In addition to paintings, prints, drawings – including landscapes, portraits and nudes – and sculptures in the form of monuments, he also created several sgraffitos and frescoes at his workplaces in Egerland and southern Germany. In Wangen alone, he created architectural art on approximately 60 public and private buildings. Schönecker died the day after his 86th birthday, shortly after completing the fresco. His works were exhibited several times after his death.For the city of Sokolov, he created frescoes in the cemetery chapel, which no longer exist. Together with architect Heinrich Scherrer, he designed the conversion of the former Hard observation tower into a monument to the fallen of World War I. Schönecker is the author of the artistic design of the five-meter bronze statue of Christ (made by the tinsmith J. Habermann). It was melted down during World War II.In Husové sady, near the swimming pool, we can see an unconventional monument to the Cheb turners from 1925. It is essentially a section through a grave.
Monument to fallen Turner
The largest canvas in the Sokolov Museum collection also bears Tony Schönecker's signature. According to an older veduta, the painter painted Sokolov around 1830.
Schönecker's painting welcomes visitors to the Sokol Museum
On the facade of the Church of St. Kunhuta in Královské Poříčí we find Schönecker's relief fresco with the theme of daily prayer.
Královské Poříčí. Church of St. Kunhuta. Photo Lubor Ferenc
Within the Loket and Castle Collections, Toni Schönecker is relatively widely represented in all types of works, including his famous watercolor self-portrait.Schönecker is the author of a number of watercolors that capture themes from everyday life at the time and are an interesting iconographic document of Egerland folklore. His paintings were often reproduced as postcards.
Source:
wikipedie.de
Prokop, Vladimír; Smola, Lukáš: Biografický lexikon sokolovského regionu, Sokolov 2009
Rund, Jan; Michael, Rund: Stopy v Sokolov. Sokolov 2025
Photo 1-3: Reproduction of Schönecker's watercolors on postcards (private collection)