Picture of Toon Kelder in black and white

Toon Kelder

Rotterdam 1894 - Den Haag 1973

Antonius, “Toon,” Bernardus Kelder studied art in the Rotterdam Academy of Fine Arts where he learnt from Alexander Van Maasdijk and Frederik Natchweh their techniques to paint portraits, still lives, sea and landscapes.

Toon Kedler first paintings were very realistic style using dark tones, but during the 30s his style became more romantic and sheer. He included lighter and softer shapes, capturing scenes such as musical angels, riders and nudes in Arcadian landscapes. It is specially this soft, blurred colours that make his artwork recognizable.

Romantic Abstraction

Toon Kedler’s paintings look for simplicity, trying to refine the subject to achieve its main essence. In this way, he created shapeless representations of the world. But he still thought this was not enough.

The Second World War had a great impact on his life as it led him to find liberation in abstraction. Feeling free, he destroyed much of his earlier work and started experimenting with other forms and materials. His paintings turned into abstract drawings and black and white gouaches.

At the end of the 40s, Toon Kedler started sculpting. His artwork was considered a tridimensional representation of his paintings, but by the time, it became his only way of expression.

We can find much of his artwork in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.

Toon Kelder Original Paintings

  • Kelder II sculpture by Toon Kelder
  • Kelder I painting by Toon Kelder