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Amsterdam native Willy Boers emerged as one of the key figures in the renewal of the visual arts in the Netherlands after the Second World War. He chose to train as a painting restorer rather than finish school. As an artist, he was self-taught. From the 1930s onward, he painted portraits, landscapes, and still lifes in a realistic style characteristic of the New Objectivity. During the Second World War, his insights into art took a radical turn. Fantasy, not reality, should be the starting point. This is reflected in the abstract work he produced after 1945. During this time, he regularly traveled to Paris, was influenced by the work of artists such as Kandinsky, and became a leading advocate of Dutch post-war abstract painting.
At the end of 1946, Boers, together with Ger Gerrits, founded the group Vrij Beelden, whose members included Willem Hussem, Piet Ouborg, and Jan Roëde. The group opted for experimentation and abstraction, building on existing movements such as Cubism, Surrealism, and Expressionism. The group regularly exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Due to disagreements, both personal and in conflicting visions, the group quickly disbanded, after a merger with CoBrA also failed. This was followed in 1950 by the founding of Creatie by Boers and Anton Rooskens and Eugène Brands, both of CoBrA origin. The group aimed to bridge the gap between pre-1940 abstract art and the new post-1950 abstract art, and consisted of approximately 25 exclusively abstract artists. Creatie also failed to survive, disbanding in 1954. To create a larger sphere of influence, they deemed it necessary 'to join forces and collaborate in larger groups, particularly with architects.' This idea gave rise to the Liga Nieuw Beelden (New Images League), founded in 1955 by architect/sculptor Charles Karsten, incorporating CoBrA and remnants of Creatie. The Liga was established as a collaborative community of various art disciplines, prioritizing the integration of abstract painting and architecture. Boers did not participate in this, but his friend and colleague Ger Gerrits did.
In the early 1960s, Boers created paintings composed of large planes, radiating a stark austerity. His use of colour was limited to black, gray, white, or sand, occasionally with a touch of red or blue. Around 1970, he also created collages on paper. Boers was a versatile artist; not only was he a skilled painter, draftsman, and sculptor, but he also wrote a large number of insightful articles on abstract art.
