Albert Hemelman (1883–1951) - Study of a jay - Oil

Albert HEMELMAN
(Neede, 1883 – Amsterdam, 1951)

Study of a jay

Oil on cardboard
Signed lower right
28 x 37 cm

Albert Hemelman was born on January 7, 1883 in the province of Gelderland in Neede in the center-east of Holland, near the German border.

The son of a blacksmith, Albert left at the age of twenty against his parents' wishes for Amsterdam and entered the National School of Applied Arts in 1905; then two years at the Rijksakademie followed. He was a student of the masters Pieter Dupont, Klaas van Leeuwen, George Sturm and Nicolas van der Waav. In the course of his artistic work, Albert regularly traveled to Norway, Iceland and Spitsbergen, but Amsterdam remained his home port throughout his life. His favorite subjects included harbor views, industrial landscapes, urban landscapes and still lifes, to which we can attach our study. Skilled in oils, lithographs and drawings, he produced a good number of posters and book illustrations in addition to his easel paintings.

Given the quality of his work, major Dutch art buyers called upon him for their commissions, including Amro-Bank and Koninklijke Hollandsche Lloyd.

He was a member of the Academy of Saint-Luc and of Arti and Amicitiae, both in Amsterdam, and was the teacher of Henk Henriët (1903-1945).

Hemelman died in Amsterdam on 25 January 1951.