Famous Dutch Artists & Painters
During the Dutch Golden Age, which spanned for most part of the 17th century, art burgeoned and thrived at full galore. Interestingly, artists worked on distinct genres of paintings and produced bulk of their works. Right from historic paintings that included allegories and popular religious subjects to portrait painting, genre painting, landscape painting and still life, Dutch paintings covered variety of subjects and topics. Some of the earliest known works of Dutch art date back to the 14th and 15th century by painters such as Gerard David, Jan Maelwael and Wilhelm Vrelant. The golden period of Dutch art saw the rise of many prominent artists, whose contribution helped establish the Dutch golden age that was marked by great artistic wealth and cultural achievements. Rembrandt was one of the greatest Dutch painters and artists of that time. Other well-renowned painters of the Golden period include Johannes Veneer, Jan Steen, Willem van Aelst, Carel Fabritius, Gabriel Metsu, Willem Kalf, Paulus Potter and so on. Read this section to know more about the life and works of Dutch painters.
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Birthdate: March 30, 1853
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Zundert, Netherlands
Died: July 29, 1890
Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist painter and is said to be one of the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. However, he was not commercially successful in his lifetime and died by suicide at 37 after years of mental health issues and poverty. He gained recognition and respect in the 20th century.
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Rembrandt(One of the Greatest Visual Artists in the History of Art)
Birthdate: July 15, 1606
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Leiden, Netherlands
Died: October 4, 1669
Rembrandt was a Dutch printmaker, painter, and draughtsman. A master in three major art media, Rembrandt is widely considered the most important visual artist in Dutch art history and one of the greatest of all time. He is also considered the greatest etcher in the history of printmaking. His life and work inspired several films, including the 1936 movie Rembrandt.
Birthdate: October 31, 1632
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Delft, Netherlands
Died: December 15, 1675
Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter renowned for his use of light in paintings. Although he did not achieve fame during his lifetime, Vermeer's works gained popularity in the 19th century. Today, Vermeer is often counted among the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. Over the years, Vermeer's work has inspired artists like Wilhelm Hammershoi and Thomas Wilmer Dewing.
Birthdate: 1872
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Amersfoort, Netherlands
Died: January 31, 1944
Dutch painter Piet Mondrian is remembered for pioneering what is known as 20th-century abstract art. He co-founded the De Stijl art movement with Theo van Doesburg and gave rise to Neoplasticism. His art was influenced by Cubism. Many of his paintings consist of geometric shapes in particular sets of colors.
Birthdate: 1450 AD
Birthplace: Burgundian Netherlands
Died: August 9, 1516
Hieronymus Bosch was a Dutch painter and a significant figure of the Early Netherlandish painting school. Most of his works are made of oil on oak wood and consist of religious themes and dark depictions of Hell. One of his notable works is The Garden of Earthly Delights.
Birthdate: 1390 AD
Birthplace: Maaseik, Belgium
Died: July 9, 1441
Jan van Eyck was a painter best remembered for his Early Northern Renaissance art. He was one of the early innovators of Early Netherlandish painting and one of the most significant painters of his generation. A highly influential painter, Jan van Eyck's style and techniques were adopted by the Early Netherlandish painters.
Birthdate: 1525 AD
Birthplace: Breda or nearby, Duchy of Brabant, Habsburg Netherlands (modern-day Netherlands)
Died: September 9, 1569
Sixteenth-century Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder is remembered for his depiction of peasants through his paintings. His origins remain elusive, though most of his paintings carried his signature, which made it easy for researchers to trace the evolution of his art. Both his sons, too, became painters.
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Jeroen Krabbe
(Actor, Director)
Birthdate: December 5, 1944
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Jeroen Krabbe is a Dutch actor, illustrator, painter, and film director. He is best known for playing negative roles in popular films like the 15th James Bond movie The Living Daylights. His contributions to film and theatre were honored with the Top Naeff prize in 1965. In 2014, he was awarded the Frans Banninck Cocqpenning for his services to Amsterdam.
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Frans Hals
(Dutch Golden Age Painter Who is Known for His Loose Painterly Brushwork)
Birthdate: 1582 AD
Birthplace: Antwerp, Belgium
Died: August 26, 1666
One of the most prominent painters of the Dutch Golden Age of painting, Frans Hals is renowned for his individual and group portraits as well as for his genre work paintings. He is known for loose painterly brushwork, colourful palette and lively style of painting. His work played a key role in the development of 17th century group portraiture.
Birthdate: January 8, 1836
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Dronrijp, Netherlands
Died: June 25, 1912
Lawrence Alma-Tadema was a Dutch classical subject painter whose painting about luxury and decadence of the Roman Empire became very well known. Regarded a prominent Victorian painter, he was successful, admired, famous and highly paid during his lifetime. However, his popularity waned after his death and saw a resurgence only in the second half of the 20th century.
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Carel Fabritius(Dutch Painter Known for His Works ‘A View of Delft’, ‘The Goldfinch’ and ‘The Sentry’)
Birthdate: February 27, 1622
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Middenbeemster, Dutch Republic
Died: October 12, 1654
Born to a schoolteacher and part-time painter father, Dutch painter Carel Fabritius learned painting from Rembrandt. A pioneer of the 17th-century Delft movement, he died in the deadly 1654 Delft gunpowder magazine explosion that ravaged most of the city and almost all his works. The Goldfinch remains his best-known work.
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Han van Meegeren
(Dutch Painter and One of the Most Ingenious Art Forgers of the 20th Century)
Birthdate: October 10, 1889
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Deventer, Netherlands
Died: December 30, 1947
Han van Meegeren was a Dutch painter best remembered for his skills as an art forger; he successfully forged and sold paintings attributed to famous and respected painters like Johannes Vermeer among other Dutch masters. Han van Meegeren developed this art in order to humiliate art critics of his time who had ridiculed his original works.
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Theo van Doesburg
(Dutch Artist Best Known as the Founder and Leader of 'De Stijl')
Birthdate: August 30, 1883
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Utrecht, Netherlands
Died: March 7, 1931
One of the pioneering figures of the Dutch art movement De Stijl, or The Style, Theo van Doesburg stressed on the importance of simplified and geometric visual arts. The son of a photographer, he grew up to create scores of abstract paintings and designed aesthetic room décor and furniture, too.
Birthdate: July 28, 1609
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Haarlem, Netherlands
Died: February 10, 1660
Birthdate: August 21, 1626
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Leiden, Netherlands
Died: February 3, 1679
Jan Steen was a Dutch Golden Age painter, counted among the leading genre painters of the 17th century. Born into a wealthy family, he received training under prominent painter Nicolaes Knupfer. For several years, he worked with renowned landscape painter Jan van Goyen, whose daughter he later married. He painted portraits, still life, and historical, mythological, and religious scenes.
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Jacob van Ruisdael
(Painter)
Birthdate: 1628 AD
Birthplace: Haarlem, Netherlands
Died: March 10, 1682
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Theo Jansen
(Dutch Artist and Sculptor Known for His Kinetic Sculpture)
Birthdate: March 14, 1948
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Scheveningen, Netherlands
Theo Jansen is a Dutch artist best known for his sculptures that combine art and engineering. He achieved popularity when he invented the Strandbeest, a moving kinetic structure that resembles a walking animal. Described as an artificial life by Jansen, these sculptures are constantly being improved. In 2016, The Simpsons featured Jansen and the Strandbeest in one of its episodes.
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Willem Arondeus
(Artist and author who joined the Dutch anti-Nazi resistance movement during World War II)
Birthdate: August 22, 1894
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Naarden, Netherlands
Died: July 1, 1943
Recognised as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem, Dutch artist-author Willem Arondeus is most noted for his participation in bombing of the Amsterdam civil registry office that formed part of the Dutch anti-Nazi resistance movement during the Second World War. A self-proclaimed gay, his last words before execution were: "Tell the people that homosexuals are not by definition weak."
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Anton Mauve
(Former realist painter whose best-known paintings depict peasants working in the field)
Birthdate: September 18, 1838
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Zaandam, Netherlands
Died: February 5, 1888
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Gerard van Honthorst
(Painter)
Birthdate: November 4, 1592
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Utrecht, Netherlands
Died: April 27, 1656
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Herman Brood
(Musician & Painter Known for His Hedonistic Lifestyle of Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘N’ Roll)
Birthdate: November 5, 1946
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Zwolle, Netherlands
Died: July 11, 2001
Best known as part of Wild Romance, Dutch musician Herman Brood was the poster child of Dutch rock and roll and the Netherlands’s biggest rock superstar but was also notorious for his addiction to drugs and alcohol. He later turned to painting but committed suicide by jumping from an Amsterdam hotel at 54.
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Philippe de Champaigne
(Painter)
Birthdate: May 26, 1602
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Brussels
Died: August 12, 1674
Birthdate: January 26, 1877
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Died: May 28, 1968
Birthdate: August 3, 1953
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Cape Town, South Africa
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Pieter de Hooch
(Dutch painter)
Birthdate: December 20, 1629
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Died: March 24, 1684
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Karel Appel(Dutch Painter & Sculptor Who was One of the Founders of the Avant-Garde Movement ‘CoBrA’ in 1948)
Birthdate: April 25, 1921
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died: May 3, 2006
Karel Appel was a Dutch poet, painter, and sculptor. He is credited with co-founding COBRA, a European avant-garde movement that was active from 1948 to 1951. He is also credited with establishing the Karel Appel Foundation, which aims at preserving his artworks. Many of his works are displayed at museums all over the world, including the Museum of Modern Art.
Birthdate: 1597 AD
Birthplace: Berchem, Antwerp, Belgium
Died: January 1, 1661
Pieter Claesz was a Dutch painter of still lifes who flourished during the Dutch Golden Age. He is best remembered for his work alongside other important Dutch Golden Age artist Willem Claesz Heda. Pieter Claesz and Heda worked in Haarlem and are credited with founding a well-known tradition of still life painting in the city.
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Angela Groothuizen
(Singer)
Birthdate: September 28, 1959
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Alkmaar, Netherlands
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Maarten van Heemskerck
(Painter)
Birthdate: June 1, 1498
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Heemskerk, Netherlands
Died: October 1, 1574
Birthdate: 1594 AD
Birthplace: Antwerp, Belgium
Died: 1659 AD
Clara Peeters was a Flemish painter from Antwerp known for her still-life works. Active in both the Spanish Netherlands and the Dutch Republic, she is the most famous female Flemish artist of her era. She was one of the few women artists working professionally in 17th-century Europe. She is believed to have been a wealthy and successful artist.
Birthdate: April 7, 1613
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Leiden, Netherlands
Died: February 9, 1675
Birthdate: June 3, 1664
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: The Hague, Netherlands
Died: August 12, 1750
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Ary Scheffer
(Romantic painter)
Birthdate: February 10, 1795
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Dordrecht, Netherlands
Died: June 15, 1858
Birthdate: 1629
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Leiden, Netherlands
Died: October 24, 1667
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Hendrick Avercamp
(Painter)
Birthdate: January 27, 1585
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died: May 15, 1634
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Jan Davidsz. de Heem
(Painter)
Birthdate: April 17, 1606
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Utrecht, Netherlands
Died: April 26, 1684
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Gerard ter Borch
(Painter)
Birthdate: 1617
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Zwolle, Netherlands
Died: December 8, 1681
Birthdate: 1460 AD
Birthplace: Oudewater, Netherlands
Died: August 13, 1523
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Antonis Mor
(Netherlandish painter)
Birthdate: 1517 AD
Birthplace: Utrecht, Netherlands
Died: 1577 AD
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Hans Klok
(Magician, Actor)
Birthdate: February 22, 1969
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Purmerend, Netherlands
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Anton Pieck
(Painter, Illustrater)
Birthdate: April 19, 1895
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Den Helder, Netherlands
Died: November 24, 1987
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Dieric Bouts
(Early Netherlandish painter who was among the first northern painters to demonstrate the use of a single vanishing point)
Birthdate: 1415 AD
Birthplace: Haarlem, Netherlands
Died: 1475 AD
43
Meindert Hobbema
(Painter)
Birthdate: October 31, 1638
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died: December 7, 1709
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Tonke Dragt
(Writer, Illustrator)
Birthdate: November 12, 1930
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Jakarta, Indonesia
Born in the Dutch East Indies, Tonke Dragt was 12 when she was interned at a Japanese prisoners’ camp, where she began writing using a pseudonym. She later moved to the Netherlands and emerged as one of the best authors of children's books, including The Letter for the King.
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Gerard de Lairesse
(Painter)
Birthdate: September 11, 1640
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Liège, Belgium
Died: July 28, 1711
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Wim Crouwel
(Former Graphic designer who designed the typeface New Alphabet)
Birthdate: November 21, 1928
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Groningen, Netherlands
Died: September 19, 2019
Birthdate: 1494 AD
Birthplace: Leiden, Netherlands
Died: September 8, 1533
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Hendrick ter Brugghen
(Painter)
Birthdate: 1588 AD
Birthplace: The Hague, Netherlands
Died: November 1, 1629
Birthdate: January 13, 1596
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Leiden, Netherlands
Died: April 27, 1656
Birthdate: October 20, 1620
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Dordrecht, Netherlands
Died: November 15, 1691
Aelbert Cuyp was one of the most important Dutch Golden Age painters renowned for painting beautiful landscapes. Also known for his skills as a draftsman, Aelbert Cuyp is best remembered for his most famous work, River Landscape.