Johann Wilhelm Preyer

German (1803-1889)

Born in to a family of artists in 1803, Preyer became one of the most important German still life painters of the 19th century & ensured the genre unprecedented success.

The artist studied at the Dusseldorf School of Painting from 1822 under Peter von Cornelius & Wilhelm von Schadow. A distinguished exponent of this school of painting, Preyer was one of the few from this school to specialise in still lifes. The artist then went on to exhibit in Berlin where his work was collected by Consul Wagner, a founder of the Berlin National Gallery.

It was after moving to Munich in 1837 that Preyer began to produce some of his most beautiful work & it was here that he was noticed by King Ludwig I of Bavaria who bought a painting.

Preyer returned to Dusseldorf in 1848 where he founded the “Malkasten” Artists Association. The artist remained in Dusseldorf for the rest of his life. He continued to create exquisite still lifes in the manner of the Old Masters & his painting were widely collected in Europe & the US.

Preyer’s work is still very popular today, regularly achieving prices in the region of £50,000 at auction.

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