Johan van Hell

Who was Johan van Hell?

Johannes "Johan" Gerardus Diederik van Hell was a Dutch visual artist and musician. He was a dedicated socialist and a man with a highly developed social conscience. Many of his later works depict the struggles and plight of ‘the man in the street’. In 1925 he decides to produce lithographs to make art available at a reasonable price to the working class. He also gives free private art and music lessons to gifted students who cannot afford the tuition. His art oeuvre is varied, ranging from oil paintings, water colours, wood cuts and lithographs to political posters, ex-libris and magazine and book covers and illustrations. He also receives regular commissions from the City of Amsterdam for monumental art. His music is at least as important to him as his art. His instrument is the clarinet but he also plays the oboe. He regularly performs with Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Orchestra but refuses a permanent position. In his last years his music takes precedence over his art.

Chronology

1889 Johannes Gerardus Diederik van Hell is born on February 28, 1889, in Amsterdam as the third child of Jacobus Johannes van Hell and Aartje Reijnders.

Approx. 1903 First lessons in painting by G.W.Knap. Follows music lessons, probably at Amsterdam’s Volksmuziekschool.