Bram van Velde - Lithograph, Abstract composition,

Beautiful work by Bram van Velde Bram van Velde was a Dutch painter known for his abstractions with expressive brushstrokes and elongated forms. "Making a painting is a matter of making sure that all the parts form a unity," he once said. Born Abraham Gerardus van Velde on October 19, 1895 in Zoeterwoude, Netherlands, he grew up in a poor family and was forced to work from an early age. In 1907, Van Velde apprenticed at the interior design firm Schaijk & Kramers in The Hague, where his talent was encouraged by one of his bosses. As the breadwinner for his family, the artist was exempted from serving in World War I, and instead studied at the Mauritshuis museum and copied the works of old masters. The owners of Schaijk & Kramers became Van Velde's first clients and gave him a generous allowance in the early 1920s to travel around Europe with paintings. Arriving in Paris in 1924, André Lhote and the playwright Samuel Beckett. In the following years the artist suffered from poverty and a lack of recognition. Although he was defended and financially supported by his friend Beckett, it was not until the late 1950s that he found admirers among a younger generation of artists, including Pierre Alechinsky. Van Velde died on 28 December 1981 in Grimaud, France. Today his works are in the collections of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Tate Gallery in London, among others.