Franz von Stuck was born February 23, 1863 in Tettensweis near Passau, Bavaria, Germany. He showed talent for art at an early age, with an affinity for drawing and caricature. At age 15 he moved to Munich, where he would live the rest of his life. From 1881 to 1885 Stuck attended the Munich Academy.

He first became well known for his cartoons for Fliegende Blätter, and vignette designs for programs and book decoration. In 1889 he exhibited his first paintings at the Munich Glass Palace, winning a gold medal for The Guardian of Paradise a major Symbolist painting

In 1892 Stuck co-founded the Munich Secession, and also executed his first sculpture, Athlete. The next year he won further acclaim with the critical and public success of what is now his most famous work, the painting The Sin, which he also did as an etching, titled Die Sinnlichkeit. In 1895 he began teaching painting at the Munich Academy.

In 1897 Stuck married an American widow, Mary Lindpainter, and began work designing his own residence and studio, the Villa Stuck. His designs for the villa included everything from layout to interior decorations; for his furniture Stuck received another gold medal at the 1900 Paris World Exposition.

Stuck was ennobled on December 9, 1905, adding “von” to his name and would receive further public honors from around Europe during the remainder of his life. He continued to be well respected among young artists as professor at the Munich Academy, even after his artistic styles became unfashionable.

Notable students of his over the years include Paul Klee, Hans Purrmann, Wassily Kandinsky, Alf Bayrle and Josef Albers. Struck was a member of the International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers.

Franz von Stuck died on August 30, 1928 in Munich; his funeral address memorialized him as "the last prince of art of Munich's great days". He is buried in the Munich Waldfriedhof next to his wife Mary.