Georg Müller was the son of a furniture maker and wood carver. With his family, he moved to the United States in 1886, where he started his training as a sculptor. After visiting France, he studied in Chicago and in München. He settled there and became a member of the Munich Secession, with whom Müller began to produce monumental sculptures: religious statues, war memorials and fountains. He later became famous for his busts of great Germans. Notably, his bust of Goethe was bought by Adolf Hitler. Two of his busts (educator and nationalist Friedrich Ludwig Jahn and composer Max Reger) are on display at the Walhalla, the Hall of Fame of German politicians, sovereigns, scientists and artists. Replacing Josef Wackerle, Müller was appointed as a professor at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts in 1943. His works enjoyed a high reputation among the Nazis. The stucco cast of the Amazone was created in 1935 and was later exhibited as a bronze figure at the Great German Art Exhibitions in 1939 and 1943. The Athlete dates from 1934.
Germany