Alexander Koch

Raised in Stuttgart, the trained merchant married the daughter of a wallpaper manufacturer from Darmstadt. Alexander Koch successfully published his first magazine for his father-in-law’s company, allowing him to concentrate fully on his work as a publisher. From 1890, he published for instance the magazine "Innen­dekoration" and from 1896 "Deutsche Kunst und Deko­ration". With the aim of renewing the exhibition system through the ideas of life reform, Alexander Koch, with his knowledge of the artists of that time, contributed significantly to the foundation and development of the Darmstadt Artists’ Colony. As initiator of the "Gewerbemuseum", a museum for applied arts, handicraft and industry in Darmstadt, he also promoted local handicraft businesses.