Henk van Gemert artwork • painting • previously for sale Figures in the Vondelpark, Amsterdam

The Amsterdam artist Henk van Gemert was working as a lithographer when he chose the painting profession at the age of 27. He took part in a number of exhibitions, including in Maastricht, and from 1943 to 1945 shared a studio with Karel Appel on the Zwanenburgwal. In 1947 he makes his first trip to the south of France. Near Aix-en-Provence he paints villages and harbour views. It was the start of a series of trips to Southern Europe and North Africa and heralded the end of his Dutch period. In 1966 the painter settled permanently in the Ardèche and in 1982 he exchanged France for Spain. There his style of painting changes radically from an expressive impressionism to a brightly coloured abstract expressionism.