Biographical Information

Adolf Schreyer
German 1828-1899

Schreyer was born in Frankfurt-am-Main, in 1828, and died in Kronberg in 1899. He was the member of a very prominent family which could afford him every advantage of travel and instruction. He began as a student in the Staedel Institute in Frankfurt and later continued his studies in Stuttgart, Munich and Dusseldorf.

His contemporaries describe him as a tall, handsome man. He was amazingly energetic, as his paintings verify. His success was almost immediate. He was awarded a medal at Brussels in 1863, following his appointment as painter to the Court of the Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Success followed success; he was awarded the Paris medal in 1864, 1865 and 1867. In 1864, he was presented the Cross of the Order of Leopold and was made a member of the Academies of Antwerp and Rotterdam and an honorary member of the exclusive art group, Deutsches Nochschrift.

He traveled extensively in Russia, Syria, and North Africa. In these countries, he was obviously fascinated by the inhabitants, the electric atmosphere, and by the movement and character of the Arabian horses and their riders. It is these painters that created his legacy.

Schreyer was one of the pioneers of Realism and early Impressionism in Germany. He also knew how to invent his paintings with dramatic effects which are a part of the French Romantic mood. His paintings were widely distributed among European and American collections. Many of his paintings were produced as photogravure prints during the turn-of-the century.