1924

born in The Netherlands, near Utrecht

 

1940-44

attending school of graphics in Amsterdam and Maastricht

 

1945-47

working as graphic designer in The Hague and in St. Gall 

 

1948-53

took up residence in Paris, 1951 he founded a family with Bernadette de Galzain, 

they had three children: Jan, Piet and Emmanuelle; 

he worked as a graphic artist and set-designer with A.M. Cassendre

 

1954-57

moved to Italy; working as freelance designer, stage setting and exhibition architect in Milan;

received the gold medal for his design of the Dutch pavillon at the “Triennale” in Milan

 

1957

returned to Paris, worked as a graphic designer at the “Centre Culturel Américain”. He focused predominantly on his painting

 

1960  

first solo exhibition of painting at the Gallery Giraudoux, Paris

 

1963

for the first time his work is presented in Germany at Gallery Brusberg, Hannover

 

1964

participation at “documenta III”, Kassel (with three oil paintings) taking part at “Prix Marzotto” in Valdagna, Italy

 

1965   

first solo exhibition at Stedelijk Amsterdam, visits to USA and Mexico; in New York he became acquainted to Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko and worked in the studio of his friend Herman Cherry

 

1967-68

guest-professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Hamburg

 

1968

first prize for his colour lithograph “Au Cirque II” at the Dutch festival of the graphic arts, The Hague

 

1969

guest-professor at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio; invited to Berlin by the DAAD where he took up residence.

 

1970-89 

professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Berlin; frequent co-operations with the printing workshops “Printshop” in Amsterdam, the “Atelier Clot et Bramsen”, Paris, and the Atelier Champfleury, Paris 

 

1971

solo exhibition in England at the Buckingham Gallery, London

 

1974-91

regular working periods in his studio in the South of France, Rustrel, Provence 

 

1980 

second marriage to his long-time compagnion Regine Dorothea Bussert

 

1983-91  

working periods in Versailles, where he had a small studio

 

1984+86

visits to New York and meetings with Elaine and Willem de Kooning at Long Island

 

1989

emeritus status; working for two months in a friend’s studio in New York

 

1990

further working period in New York

 

1992

died in Munich, burried in Versailles, cemetery St-Louis