Alexis Kreyder

Biography of Alexis Kreyder ( 1839-1912 )

Born in Andlau in Alsace, Alexis Kreyder has particularly distinguished himself in the art of still life and the representation of flowers. His early childhood spent in a wine-growing region certainly made him aware of the beauty of the surrounding nature.
He began his artistic apprenticeship at the Strasbourg academy in 1855 where he was taught by Eugène Laville, before joining the decorative painters Georges Zipelius and Joseph Fuchs in Mulhouse. Fuchs was a renowned floral designer and the wallpapers of Zipelius and Fuchs show opulent nature and finely realized decorative panoramas.

With this education, Kreyder went to Paris in 1859 where he worked for the industry. The call of the artist's life pushed him to join Théodore Rousseau in Barbizon. Between 1863 and 1864, they worked together on a decorative project for Prince Demidoff. There, he also befriended Jean-François Millet, with whom he made a trip to Switzerland in 1868.

Every year between 1863 and 1882, he presented his still lifes at the Salon des Artistes Français. He won a first medal in 1867, then a second-class medal in 1884 and also a silver medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1889. He was named Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1896 and was a member of the Society of French Artists and the National Society of Fine Arts. 

Alexis Kreyder is a painter of flowers who was very successful under Napoleon III and at the turn of the century. His impeccable technique and his sense of composition earned him many commissions. His paintings were frequently purchased at the Salons where he exhibited for nearly 30 years.