Max von Menz was a German history and genre painter.
Born the son of police director Karl von Menz, Max von Menz attended Latin school and grammar school, where his drawing teacher Franz Dahmen discovered his talent.

From November 2, 1842, Max von Menz studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in Munich under Hermann Anschütz, Heinrich Maria von Hess, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld and Philipp von Foltz.

While still a student, Menz painted a series of pictures to accompany the "History of Noah" by August Kopisch ("When Noah was out of the box"). Menz then devoted himself to the traditional themes of history painting: the Old Testament and the history of Bavaria.

On the initiative of General Karl Spruner von Merz, Menz took part in the execution of frescoes in the gallery of the Bavarian National Museum.

He created eight altarpieces for the Frauenkirche in Munich with scenes from the lives of St. Corbinian and St. Benno of Meissen. He also illustrated the works of Ludwig Uhland.

In February 1872, one of his feet was amputated and he later lost his sight.