Untitled

Victor van Kooten Breda 1940- Born just before the outbreak of world war 2 on 17 January 1940 in Breda, Holland. At the age of 13 he decided to become a painter, which idea his parents did not celebrate. At 18 he joined the art academy in Breda, but after one year left and rented a studio making his own explorations in painting and ceramic sculpting. He drew his inspiration from nature and although it was easy for him to make portraits and landscapes, the main reason to paint was the magic lying hidden behind that visible world. He was drawn to folk tales and myths that pointed towards the "night world" where wishes are realized. In his Breda studio he worked with abstract images for 7 years. In his more recent watercolors his challenge to use shapes, colors, paint strokes, lines and dots enable him to let stories be born on paper, leading to a world of continuous change. Since 2004 Victor lives and works in his home on Lesvos, Greece in the Eftalou Valley near Molyvos.