Alphonse Birck 1944, 1859-1954
French Orientalist painter
Born in Metz in 1859, Alphonse Birck trained in Paris at the National School of Decorative Arts and in independent art academies. His work was exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1877. Captivated by the Orient, he traveled extensively to Algeria, Egypt, and Syria, sometimes living in North Africa. There, he painted market scenes, riverside landscapes, Casbah alleys, and portraits of local people.
His style blends academic discipline with a strong sensitivity to Mediterranean light, working primarily in watercolor, gouache, and oil on panel. Returning to France, he settled in Fontainebleau, where he passed away in the early 1940s. His work remains a refined and documentary portrait of late nineteenth-century North African life and landscapes.