Born in Amsterdam, 1910 and died in 1973. He worked as a carpenter, taxi driver, coffin maker and finally as a worker in a chewing gum factory. In 1958 he believed he had psychic abilities and opened a practice as a healer. At the same time, he started painting. He believed that Rembrandt, the Virgin Mary and others were taking control of his body and guiding his hand. He often worked with oil paint, applied in impasto technique on sometimes very large canvases. After complaints from his wife about the smell, he took up embroidering. Almost all of his work is based on the Bible, because “God had opened his eyes”.
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Jezus' illustrious entry into Jerusalem, 1967, embroidery on canvas, 88.5x120 cm.
