Cornelis Bernardus (Kees) van Bohemen was born in The Hague, the Netherlands on 27 September 1928 and is a Dutch painter. He was a student at the Koninklijke Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten in The Hague from 1943 to 1948.
Van Bohemen moved to Paris in 1953 where he lived for 5years. Here he met some of the members of COBRA and shared a studio with Corneille till 1957.
His early work was abstract, particularly during his association with the «Nederlandse Informele Groep» and the «Zéro» group in the period 1959-60, to which Schoonhoven and Armando also belonged. Around 1963 he turned his attention to figurative themes, as we can see from the larger canvases with female nudes which he painted in 1964. His sojourn in the United States in 1966-67 gave rise to striking sporting themes and his journey to Africa in the early 1970’s yielded a series of paintings with themes from the savannah and jungle.
His technique of painting has much in common with the Abstract Expressionism of the 1950’s, although his work shows a pronounced emphasis on the representation of human beings. Van Bohemen has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Jacob Marisprijs in 1966.
During the early 1970s he travelled extensively to the United States and Africa. He was influenced by its colourful art and upon his return to Europe he painted large, colourful canvasses featuring women, athletes and exotic motives.
Van Bohemen was also a member of the Posthoorn group, the Pulchri Studio and the Haagse Kunstkring. His work is held by many international collections, including Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
Kees van Bohemen died on September 22, 1985 in The Hague.
