Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 6 works by Alexander Struys in our catalogue
In short
To the gallery's eye, Alexander Struys's most famous painting is Birds of Prey. The Will (1876), whose original hangs in the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg. Young Woman with Child on a Journey 'Abandoned' (1874) and "Peut-être" (1875) complete the trio every eye recognises. Of the 6 works by Alexander Struys in our catalog, the gallery presents the 6 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.
Birds of Prey. The Will by George De Forest Brush presents a somber, dramatic deathbed scene set within a dimly lit interior. The composition is tightly focused on three figures, creating a sense of intimacy and claustrophobia. An elderly, emaciated man lies propped up by large, white pillows, his eyes turned upward and one hand raised in a gesture of spiritual transition or distress. A rich, emerald green velvet cloth…
In "Young Woman with Child on a Journey 'Abandoned'" by Alexander Struys, a vertical composition captures a moment of profound displacement. The figures of a young woman and a small child are positioned slightly off-center, anchored against a desolate landscape. They move through a dim street where distant buildings recede under the weight of a heavy, cloudy sky. A single leafless tree rises in the background, its skeletal branches reaching…
is an oil painting by the Belgian artist Alexander Struys. Created about 1875, the work emerged during a period when the artist was establishing his presence within the European academic tradition. Struys, born in Berchem, Belgium, in 1852, developed a technical foundation through formal training at the Academy of Dordrecht and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
In "Desperation" by Alexander Struys, we find ourselves witnessing a solemn religious or ceremonial procession unfolding within a dimly lit interior. The composition places the viewer at eye-level, as if standing quietly in the shadows of the room alongside the figures. Several individuals move through the darkness, their presence marked by the heavy, quiet tension of a late-night religious rite. The scene is defined by a profound sense of depth,…
A young woman sits in a three-quarter view, her gaze drifting slightly to the left of the frame. The light enters from the upper left, brushing against the curve of her cheek and the soft line of her neck. She is framed within an oval, a window into a moment of stillness. Her clothing, rendered in deep burgundy and dark brown, absorbs the light, creating a heavy, tactile presence against…
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The 4 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Alexander Struys | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp |
Antwerp | 3 | "Peut-être", Catharina Beersmans, The Breadwinner |
 Hermitage Museum |
Saint Petersburg | 1 | Birds of Prey. The Will |
 Dordrechts Museum |
Dordrecht | 1 | Young Woman with Child on a Journey 'Abandoned' |
 Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK) |
Ghent | 1 | Desperation |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
Birds of Prey. The Will by George De Forest Brush presents a somber, dramatic deathbed scene set within a dimly lit interior. The composition is tightly focused on three figures, creating a sense of intimacy and claustrophobia. An elderly, emaciated man lies propped up by large, white pillows, his eyes turned upward and one hand raised in a gesture of spiritual transition or distress. A rich, emerald green velvet cloth…
In "Desperation" by Alexander Struys, we find ourselves witnessing a solemn religious or ceremonial procession unfolding within a dimly lit interior. The composition places the viewer at eye-level, as if standing quietly in the shadows of the room alongside the figures. Several individuals move through the darkness, their presence marked by the heavy, quiet tension of a late-night religious rite. The scene is defined by a profound sense of depth,…
Birds of Prey. The Will (1876), Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg. Young Woman with Child on a Journey 'Abandoned' (1874) and "Peut-être" (1875) come next.
24 years old: Birds of Prey. The Will dates from 1876, and Alexander Struys was born in 1852.
Our catalog holds 6 works by Alexander Struys, dated from 1874 to 1895.
Mostly in Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (Antwerp), Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg) and Dordrechts Museum (Dordrecht). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1870s: 3 of the 6 works on this page were made then, Birds of Prey. The Will among them.
On this page, the earliest is Young Woman with Child on a Journey 'Abandoned' (1874) and the latest Desperation (1895).
Man (2) and Woman (2), across the 6 works on this page.
Oil, for 4 of the 6 works on this page.
"Peut-être", Catharina Beersmans and The Breadwinner: the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, Antwerp holds 3 of the works on this page.
Alexander Struys was born into a household where the manipulation of light and glass was a practiced trade. His father, a man originally from Holland, worked as a master glass painter. This early exposure to the craft of color and transparency likely shaped the visual language that would later define his own work. The boy's hand was steady from a very young age; by the age of six, he was already a student at the Academy of Dordrecht.
As he grew, his training moved toward the formal structures of fine art. He eventually found his way to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied under Polydore Beaufaux and Jozef Van Lerius. These years of instruction provided the technical foundation for his later focus on genre and portrait painting. He moved through these academic spaces with a focus on the precision required by the realistic style he would eventually inhabit.
In 1871, Struys began to move beyond the borders of Belgium. He exhibited his work in Ghent that same year, marking an early step into the public eye. Shortly after, he set out for France and England alongside Jan Van Beers. The two men traveled through these countries attempting to sell their paintings, though the returns were meager. They managed only enough money to fund the trip back home.
The years that followed brought both friction and professional advancement. In 1876, his painting Birds of Prey—also known as God is Dead—caused a significant scandal due to its anti-clerical themes. This period of provocation was met with a shift in his professional standing. By 1877, he was appointed as a Professor at the Weimar Saxon-Grand Ducal Art School.
After his early years of travel, Struys took up a teaching position at the Weimar Saxon-Grand Ducal Art School. He held this professorship until 1882. During this time, he watched his students develop, including Christian Rohlfs. His time in Weimar was a steady period of instruction before he moved toward the Netherlands. In 1882, he relocated to The Hague. He spent two years there working primarily as a portrait painter, capturing the likenesses of those who sat for him.
His later years were spent in Belgium, specifically in Mechelen. He took on the role of head of the Royal Drawing Academy in that city. His influence extended into the administrative side of the Belgian art community as well. In 1902, he joined the administrative commission for the ninth exhibition held by the Société des Beaux-Arts à Bruxelles. By 1905, he had reached the position of Vice-President of the Société Royale des Beaux-Arts. He also contributed to the committee responsible for preparing the Exposition Rétrospective de l'Art Belge, which was part of the country's 75th anniversary celebrations.
Struys worked within the Realistic style, focusing his attention on genre and portraiture. He did not rely on a formal studio to find his subjects. Instead, he went directly into the homes of the poor people he chose to depict. This choice allowed him to observe their lives from within their own living spaces. His presence in these modest settings shaped the quiet, unvarnished quality of his work.
The subject matter he chose often touched upon the harder realities of life. His paintings drew significant attention from the socially conscious publications of the era. Some observers, looking at the heavy themes he explored, referred to him as the painter of misery and pain. His work did not shy away from the difficult aspects of the human condition, focusing instead on the lived experiences of those living on the margins of society.
