(Bergneustadt 1864–1932 Munich)
Twelve Ducks at the Fountain, signed A. Koester, oil on canvas, 70 x 100 cm, framed

Provenance:
Sale, Sotheby’s, London, 26 November 1986, lot 134;
European Private Collection;
Private Collection, Germany.

Catalogued and illustrated in:
Ruth Stein, Hans Koester, Alexander Koester 1864–1932. Leben und Werk, Recklinghausen 1988, no. 673.

Alexander Koester, the son of a stocking manufacturer, completed an apprenticeship as a pharmacist at his parents' request. After completing this, however, he did not take up the profession he had learnt, but enrolled at the Karlsruhe Academy. He studied art there from 1885 under Karl Hoff and Claus Meyer. He travelled extensively and was soon able to earn a living with his portrait and genre painting. In 1896, he moved to the South Tyrolean holiday resort of Klausen, where his most fruitful creative period finally began and he joined the ‘Klausner Kunstkolonie’. While painting in nature, he quickly discovered that ducks were a favourite subject for his paintings. He observed these animals intensively in order to capture the way the sun's rays were reflected on the birds' plumage in his paintings. This resulted in dynamic atmospheric images, making the varied motif socially acceptable. He was an outstanding representative of 19th century painting and was able to capture the liveliness of the flock of ducks in his pictures with expressive brushstrokes.