Anna Verrijt

Anna Verrijt (1951) grew up in a village in Brabant, which soon became too small for her. There, girls became housewives, or at most teachers or nurses. She loved to draw and did so often, but the world of art seemed like another planet. Becoming an artist was therefore out of the question. Verrijt’s sympathy for anyone who fell outside the norm led her to choose a career in psychiatric nursing. Later, she set out into the wider world, traveling to Nepal and India, where she lived for a long time. It was there that she met her—Dutch—husband. Once back in the Netherlands, she returned to work in psychiatry and had two daughters. TURNING POINT However, her longing for art can no longer be suppressed. She takes the plunge and begins taking classes at the Witte Lelie in Amsterdam. There, it becomes clear that she already knows exactly where she wants to go; the instructors tell her she’d be better off starting right away. Verrijt therefore dropped out of the program and resolutely embarked on her career as an artist. Everything indicates that she has found her calling. She works hard and with joy, and success was not long in coming. This still surprises her at times, because she sets high standards for her work. She doesn’t get stuck in a formula or a particular style, but is constantly evolving. If you line up her paintings chronologically, you can see the barriers she has overcome.