Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

Getting to Know You

£4,250.00

SKU: 11898
Signed and dated. Oil on canvas
Presentation:
unframed

Size:
Height – 70cm x Width – 120cm

1 in stock

DESCRIPTION

Willem was born in post-war Rotterdam to an Italian father who owned a demolition business and a Dutch mother whose family ran a grocery store. Growing up in a city being rebuilt from the devastation of war, Willem’s early experiences influenced his art, particularly his memories of the flat wasteland and the skeletal remains of buildings. He spent his childhood exploring museums, studying art, and cycling to coastal spots, all while being deeply influenced by his paternal and maternal heritage, which connected him to both Renaissance and Dutch masters.

Despite training as an electrician, Willem’s passion for painting led him to take up various odd jobs that offered him creative inspiration. He worked in places like a meat factory, where he collected animal skulls for his art, and an onion factory, where he befriended a professor of literature. His jobs often involved machines, transport, and manufacturing, which further fuelled his artistic endeavours.

Willem’s artistic journey was marked by a deep interest in the basics of life, which he explored through his paintings of food, nature, and everyday objects. He was heavily influenced by literature, folk tales, and the works of artists like Breughel and Hieronymus Bosch. Although he was passionate about his art, he rarely showed or sold his work, preferring to keep his creations private. His works, often divided into themes of “Sayings,” “Speeding,” and “Sittings,” captured a range of subjects, from proverbs and transportation to portraits, including both anonymous figures and famous personalities.

Disclaimer:
Modern British Art Gallery are continually seeking to improve the quality of the information on their website. We actively undertake to post new and more accurate information on our stable of artists.

We openly acknowledge the use of information from other sites including Wikipedia, artbiogs.co.uk and Tate.org and other public domains. We are grateful for the use of this information and we openly invite any comments on how to improve the accuracy of what we have posted.

THE ARTIST

Willem Johan
Barbieri
1948-2019

MORE PICTURES BY ARTIST

SKU: 11887

Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

Bottoms Up

£1,975.00

SKU: 11888

Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

Insect

£2,450.00

SKU: 11889

Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

3D

£2,325.00

SKU: 11890

Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

Fingal’s Cave

£1,850.00

SKU: 11892

Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

‘If your thought is a rose, you are a rose garden. If your thought is a thistle, you are fuel for the fire.’

£2,500.00

SKU: 11893

Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

Delfshaven

£3,450.00

SKU: 11896

Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

Adam and Eve

£2,625.00

SKU: 11898

Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

Getting to Know You

£4,250.00

SKU: 11899

Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

The Simplest Ideas Are Always the Best

£2,750.00

SKU: 11901

Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

Black Jack

£3,750.00

SKU: 11902

Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

The Flying Dutchman

£3,950.00

SKU: 11903

Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

The Haymarket

£2,500.00

SKU: 11906

Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

No Man’s Land

£2,375.00

SKU: 11904

Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

The Walrus Versus the Swordfish

£2,900.00

SKU: 11905

Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

The Clog

£2,625.00

SKU: 11907

Willem Johan Barbieri (1948-2019)

The Green Eyed Tavern

£2,550.00