Aart Kemink

Who was Aart Kemink?

Aart Kemink was a Dutch-Canadian painter, born May 30, 1914 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Kemink studied at Amsterdam's Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten. After his studies, he shared a studio with the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher in the late 1940s, and - in the early 1950s - became a member of the Beroepsvereniging van Beeldende Kunstenaars. During his time in Holland, Kemink also worked with compatriot artist Karel Appel, best known for his involvement in the Danish-Belgian-Dutch CoBrA movement. In 1957, Kemink participated in an exhibition of artists working for the theatre and circus at Amsterdam's nonextant Fodor Museum. While the artist held his own among Amsterdam and Rotterdam's artistic elite, Kemink's reluctance to adopt a style or affiliate with a movement shielded his work from what he considered banal trends in Modern and Post-Modern Dutch painting.

Kemink emigrated to Canada in 1958, first settling in Brandon, Manitoba, then finally in Toronto, Ontario. He eventually became a Canadian citizen.