He was born of a noble von Kern family in Liptóújvár, now Liptovský Hrádok, Slovakia, son of a famous doctor of medicine, Benjamin von Kern (1800–1868), who recognized his exceptional talent at an early age and paid for his education. Kern began his artistic training at the age of 16 in Levoča under Theo Böhm. He went to Prague in 1854, where he studied under J.B. Klemens, and then attended the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, where he was instructed by C. Rahl. In 1867 he studied in Düsseldorf, and in 1870 he studied under Karl von Piloty at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, where he befriended Franz von Defregger.
