Lot Essay
Willem Koekkoek was born into a family of artists whose extraordinary contributions to Dutch painting spanned the entire 19th century. He was the grandson of Johannes Hermanus Koekkoek, son of Hermanus Koekkoek, and the nephew of Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, Marinus Adrianus Koekkoek and Johannes Koekkoek. The young Willem studied under his father and established his reputation with paintings depicting urban scenes centered around his native Amsterdam.
With his compositions, Koekkoek sought to accurately record the streets, market squares and canals that made Amsterdam unique among European cities and his focus on the cosmopolitan rather than the agrarian, indicates a modern sensibility.
With his compositions, Koekkoek sought to accurately record the streets, market squares and canals that made Amsterdam unique among European cities and his focus on the cosmopolitan rather than the agrarian, indicates a modern sensibility.