Arie Wols - Charcoal drawing nude

Arie Wols was born in Ridderkerk in 1945 and started a very shaky existence in business terms in 1964 as a painter, etcher, watercolourist and draughtsman in a building in Heerjansdam that had been declared uninhabitable. This friendly bohemian lived there with his felt hat, his pipes and an unmanageable amount of knick-knacks. Later he moved into a shed on the edge of the village. In 1986 he settled in Oostendam with his wife, the artist Annemiek. There the couple had a studio and a gallery. Not to be caught under one hat After those formative years in Heerjansdam, Arie continued to develop himself throughout his life and he liked to experiment. His oeuvre cannot be placed under one heading. Surrealism, magical realism, sometimes impressionistic or abstract. In addition to portraits, including many self-portraits, he made countless beautiful still lifes and (especially many Waardse!) landscapes.