Bram Van Velde

Bram van Velde (Zoeterwoude, Holland, 1895 - 1981, Gimaud, France) began his career as a naturalistic painter, but in 1922, after moving to Germany, he changed to a more expressionistic style. In 1924 he moved to Paris, and then to Palma de Mallorca in 1932. He returned to Paris in 1936, fleeing the Spanish civil war.

Van Velde stopped painting altogether during the tragic period of the second wolrd war. He retook this activity after 1945, despite his poverty and desperation. From this point onwards he exclusively painted abstract untitled works, and has since become one of Holland's best known modern painters. His canvasses hang on the walls of some of the world's most prestigious art institutions.