Willem van Nieuwenhoven - The Artist Henri van Os Delhez (1913)

Willem van Nieuwenhoven (1879–1973)

Portrait of the Artist Henri van Os Delhez (1880–1976)

Inscribed lower left “m’n vriend Henri” (“my friend Henri”), signed and inscribed lower right “1913, Laren”

Chalk on paper

39 × 32 cm

Presented in a passe-partout

Provenance:

Private collection, Amsterdam.

Condition:

Very good

Additional information:

Willem van Nieuwenhoven (1879–1973) was a Dutch painter and draughtsman who, from the beginning of the twentieth century, was closely connected to the artistic community in Laren. He painted and drew figures, peasants, landscapes, and portraits, among other subjects, working in a loose, Impressionist style. In Laren, he was part of the vibrant artistic circle surrounding, among others, the Gooische Schildersvereniging. The work offered here is a particularly personal portrait of his fellow artist Henri van Os-Delhez (1880–1976), who likewise held an important position within the artistic community of Laren.

The personal bond between the two artists is particularly evident in the inscription “m’n vriend Henri” (“my friend Henri”), which Van Nieuwenhoven added to the lower left of the work. Van Os-Delhez lived and worked in Amsterdam, Laren, and later Blaricum, and also worked extensively in Paris. He primarily painted and drew flowers, still lifes, landscapes, cityscapes, and interiors in a loose Impressionist style. The Historische Kring Laren has devoted considerable attention to Van Os-Delhez and also reproduces a portrait of him by Van Nieuwenhoven in an article, dated 1930. The present portrait, dating from 1913, therefore constitutes an early and personal document of the friendship and artistic relationship between the two painters within the artistic community of Laren.