Franz Skarbina (1849–1910) was born on 24 February 1849 in Berlin. He studied at the Prussian Academy of Arts from 1865 to 1869, and afterwards spent two years as a tutor to the daughters of a count, travelling with the family. He also studied in Paris and made study trips to Italy, including Capri in 1883.
He taught at the Berlin Academy and was appointed a professor there in 1888. Skarbina belonged to the circle of painters around Max Liebermann, with whom he founded the Group of Eleven in 1892, and in 1898 he was a co-founder of the Berlin Secession. As an Impressionist he painted scenes of Berlin life, portraits and gardens, often outdoors, with a strong sense of reality, and he was also an accomplished draughtsman, etcher and illustrator.
Skarbina died at home in Berlin on 18 May 1910.