André van der Vossen Dutch, 1893-1965

Overview
André van der Vossen
“From 1948 he began to paint abstractly … around 1958 he returned to a figurative style.”
André van der Vossen (1893–1963) was a Dutch painter, graphic designer, printmaker, and stamp designer. Trained in Haarlem, he first worked in typography and design before turning to painting. From the late 1940s, he developed a distinctive abstract style, co-founding the artist groups Vrij Beelden and Creatie and exhibiting at the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles in Paris. His work evolved from geometric abstraction to lyrical abstraction, and later to figurative expressionism.
Works
  • André van der Vossen, Abstract composition, 1955
    Abstract composition, 1955
Biography
André van der Vossen
“From 1948 he began to paint abstractly … around 1958 he returned to a figurative style.”

André (Andreas Theodorus) van der Vossen was born in Haarlem in 1893. He studied at the School for Architecture, Decorative Arts, and Crafts in Haarlem, where he specialized in woodcut and graphic design. Between 1917 and 1933, he worked at the firm Joh. Enschedé en Zonen as a typographer and graphic designer, and also designed stamps for the Dutch postal service.

In 1929, van der Vossen shifted his focus to painting, moving steadily toward abstraction. After World War II, his work embraced geometric abstraction, influenced by artists such as Kandinsky and Klee, whose exhibitions in Amsterdam left a strong impression. He became an active figure in the Dutch avant-garde, co-founding the groups Vrij Beelden and Creatie, both dedicated to experimentation and abstraction.

Van der Vossen exhibited widely, including at the influential Salon des Réalités Nouvelles in Paris during the late 1940s and 1950s. Over time, his style softened from strict geometry toward more lyrical compositions. By the late 1950s, he returned to figurative expressionism, influenced in part by his contemporaries, including Gerrit Benner.

Though modest and self-critical—he destroyed many early works—van der Vossen’s career reflects a compelling artistic journey: from graphic design and applied arts, to geometric and lyrical abstraction, and finally back to figuration. He died in Overveen (Bloemendaal) in 1963.

Bibliography
André van der Vossen

  • Catalogus Herdenkingstentoonstelling André van der Vossen, Museum Huis van Looy, Haarlem, 1963.

  • De Moor, Chris. Catalogus .31, Dordrecht, 1990. Inleiding door Chris de Moor. Dordrecht, 1990.

  • André van der Vossen: dagboek in lijnen en kleuren, published by De Drijvende Dobber, Franeker, 1992; catalogue for the exhibition André van der Vossen 1893-1963: dagboek in lijnen en kleuren, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam.

  • De Moor, Christiaan. Postzegelkunst: de vormgeving van de Nederlandse postzegel. ‘s-Gravenhage: Staatsbedrijf der PTT-Nederland, 1960.