Alexander Struys, “Birds of Prey: The Will”, 1876, Oil on Canvas, 160 x 135 cm, The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Born in Berchem, Belgium,in 1852, Alexander Theodore Honoré Struys was a genre and portrait painter of the Realistic style. At the age of six, he was already a student at the Academy of Dordrecht. He later became the student of biblical scene painter Polydore Beaufaux and romantic-historical painter Jozef Van Lerius at Antwerp’s Royal Acacemy of Fine Arts.
In 1871 Struys exhibited his works in Ghent and traveled with his friend, painter Jan Van Beers (the Younger), to France and England, achieving little success in selling their work. After his return to Belgium, Stuys exhibited his painting “Birds of Prey: The Will” in 1876, creating a scandal due to its anti-clerical imagery.
The following year, Alexander Struys was named a Professor at the Weimar Saxon-Grand Ducal Art School, which had just turned away form the academic tradition of idealized composition, setting the school apart from other established schools. He stayed in that position until 1882, moving to The Hague to concentrate for two years on portrait work. His paintings of the impoverished people in the area received praise in the socially-conscious publications at that time.
Leaving The Hague, Stuys settled in Mechelen, in the province of Antwerp, becoming head of its Royal Drawing Academy. In 1902 he joined the commission for the ninth exhibition of “Société des Beaux-Arts à Bruxelles” and, in 1905, became the society’s Vice-President. Alexander Struys also served on the committee for the “Exposition Rétrospective de l’Art Belge”, a celebration of Belgium’s 75th anniversary.
Alexander Struys was a member of the Royal Academy of Belgium and the Institute of France. He passed on the 25th of March, 1941 in Uccle, Belgium.