Designer, illustrator, and print maker Marlene vonGemmingen-Hornberg was born and spent her early years in Remscheid. She studied at the School of Applied Arts in Wuppertal, and subsequently worked as a fashion designer for a number of large firms. In the 1960s she left her business career behind and devoted herself fully to the fine arts, with her first solo exhibition at Schloss Remseck, a 16th century castle in Remscheid on the Neckar River. Following her divorce, she moved to Munich, where she worked as a freelance artist until her death.