Adolf Obermüllner was born in 1833 and at the age of 18, he attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and was a pupil of the landscape painter Franz Steinfeld. His early works, shown at an academic exhibition, were awarded a first prize.

Obermüllner then settled in Munich where he was taught by the landscape and nature painter Richard Zimmermann. In the following years Obermüllner undertook study trips through Western Europe. When he returned to Austria in 1860, he settled in Vienna.

As an alpine painter he quickly gained recognition, and in 1861 he was engaged by the Austrian Alpine Association to document an alpine and glacier expedition. Obermüllner's paintings are often of exceptionally large format and are defined by the skillful brushwork and atmospheric composition.

Works by Obermüllner are held in the gallery of Prince Schwarzenberg in Vienna.