Willem van HASSELT (1882-1963) - In the garden

Willem van Hasselt, (1882-1963)

born in Rotterdam, Dutch-born painter naturalised in 1933

The son of a tailor, he studied at the Rotterdam Academy of Fine Arts under the painters Van Massdyck, Striesing and Machtweh.

In 1903, with his diploma in hand, he flew to Paris, the capital of the arts and modernity, to finish his studies. He wandered around museums and discovered Camille Corto, who influenced his painting.

To earn a living, he drew for newspapers and advertisements, and also painted theatre costumes.

In the early 1910s, he became friends with Édouard Saunier (1885-1918), with whom he exhibited for the first time in 1911, as well as with Jacques Salomon, Édouard Vuillard's nephew.

Van Hasselt became part of Vuillard's entourage, which also included Maurice Denis, and had a considerable influence on his painting.

During the First World War, van Hasselt, who still did not have French nationality, served as an ambulance driver in the French army.

In 1921, Willem van Hasselt married the draughtswoman Louise Le Vavasseur. Originally from Bordeaux, she introduced him to the Arcachon basin, which became a real source of inspiration: during the inter-war period, he painted a large number of seascapes and scenes of daily life there.

Joining up with his friend George Desvallières, he made frequent visits to Seine-Port, a picturesque village on the banks of the Seine, which was home to many artists at the time. He also painted landscapes of Morbihan and Burgundy, when he stayed with his daughter in L'Isle-sur-Serein.

Willem van Hasselt was elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1945, replacing André Devambez (1867-1944).

From 1951 he was a member of the committee of the Institut néerlandais and president of the Fra Angelico and France-Hollande associations.

From 1957 until his death, he lived in Nogent-sur-Marne, at the "Maison des artistes".

Some of his works are held at the Centre Georges-Pompidou in Paris, others in the provinces, notably at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux.