Herman Krikhaar

Herman Krikhaar was born in 1930 on Hantermanstraat in Almelo and grew up in his parents’ bakery and grocery store. He began drawing and painting at the age of 11, after his mother gave him a box full of tubes of oil paint to console him for the loss of his carrier pigeons. In 1947, he studied at the art academy in Arnhem, where he became friends with Theo Wolvecamp. In 1948, he turned 18 and had to fulfill his military service. Eighteen months later, he worked for a time in his father’s bakery until he left for Paris in 1951 for a year, where he worked as a dishwasher and developed his passion for art. After that year, he worked at his father’s bakery until he became a flight attendant for KLM and began buying art.

In 1960, Krikhaar married Henridtte Andreoli, and that same year he left with her for Ibiza. They returned to the Netherlands in 1962. The following year, Krikhaar opened an art gallery on Weteringschans in Amsterdam; it moved to Spui in 1965. He collaborated with internationally renowned art dealers such as Kahnweiler, Berggruen, and Herstand. He also collaborated with artists such as Marc Chagall and Picasso. At the same time, he devoted a great deal of time to promoting then-unknown talents.

In the 1970s, his urge to paint himself grew ever stronger. Krikhaar often painted during his long summer vacations in Salernes in southern France. In 1988, he closed his gallery to devote himself entirely to painting. In 1994, Herman Krikhaar settled with his second wife, Helena Krikhaar-Stork, in their home and studio, Le Cygne, in Salernes, which had been designed by Krikhaar’s son. On September 26, 2008, the first Herman Krikhaar Prize exhibition opened in Almelo. At the opening, Herman Krikhaar personally presented the prize—named after him—to artist Linda Biemans. In 2009, Herman Krikhaar opened the exhibition accompanying the prize in the civic hall of the former Almelo city hall. Krikhaar remained active as a painter until his death. He passed away on January 19, 2010, at the age of 79 in Draguignan (France) after a brief illness.