Willy Zügel was born in Munich on June 22, 1876.

His father was Heinrich von Zügel, a well-known animal painter.

He studied painting in his father’s class at the Munich Academy, and then from 1903 on, he devoted himself to sculpture.

He moved to Paris in 1906 and became a member of the Munich Secession in 1910.

And then split his time between Munich and Murrhardt.

Zügel specialized in animal sculptures and became best-known for them, with pieces shown in many galleries, including the Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the Kunsthalle in Bremen, and the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus in Munich, as well as the art collection of the city of Murrhardt.

In 1926, he moved to Munich where he was appointed professor. He made models for the Philipp Rosenthal porcelain factory from 1911 to 1927, for the Nymphenburg porcelain factory from 1911 to 1913, as well as for the Meissen factory. He worked for the Allach Porcelain Manufactory in Munich starting in 1935.

Zügel also created public monuments, including the World War I memorial in Murrhardt.

He is well-represented in the literature: including in Thieme Becker, Vollmer, the world’s most comprehensive biographical dictionary of artists, the Emmy Niecol Rosenthal Kunst und Zierporzellan complete catalogue, and many other publications.

He died on May 4, 1950 in Murrhardt.