Born in Berlin, Munter moved with her family to Herford in 1878, then to Koblenz in 1884. She studied art in Dusseldorf in 1897, then spent from 1898-1900 in America.Munter studied at the 'Kunstlerinnen-Verein' (Women artist association) school in Munich from 1901, then in 1902 enrolled at the Phalanx art school set up by Kandinsky and others.Munter became close to Kandinsky during a course trip taken near Kochel in the Bavarian Alps in the summer of 1902, and eventually in 1904 he gave up his house with his first wife Anja for Gabriele Munter in 1904. The two travelled extensively- to Holland, Tunis, Italy, Belgium, France (living in sevres, Paris1906-07), Dresden, before moving to Berlin (1907-08). In 1908 they settled in Murnau near Munich, where they were joined by Jawlensky and Marianne von Werefkin, and Kandinsky also took at appartment in Munich.In 1909 Munter was a co-founder of the Neue Munchner Kunstlervereinigung, then joined the Blauer Reiter with Kandinsky in 1911.Munter's and Kandinsky's work during this period are closely associated, a 'sophisticated primitive' style led by a sure and strong sense of colour drawing images of the local landscape and the beauty of the trees hills and flowers.In 1916 Munter and Kandinsky separated, and Munter went on long visits to Demark (1917-20) and France (1929 -30), with other travels in between. She returned to Murnau in 1931 where she remained for the rest of her life.