ARTIST BIO

Jos Kivits has firmly established himself in Australia as a legitimate brand over the last 40 years, with many people emailing and complimenting him on his fine ‘photography’. Mistaken to think that his works are rendered photos, neither are they copies of paintings found in National galleries currently done en-masse in China, Philippines and Russia.
His classic oeuvre includes not only high quality Still life, but floral compositions, landscapes, seascapes and figurative works. Newspaper write-ups and curators alike have classified him in the line of Sixteenth and Seventeenth century Dutch and Flemish Masters.

Since most paintings sold on the internet or in galleries are purely for home decoration to give life to an otherwise bare wall, Jos’ art by contrast is ‘classical’ and ‘pure’ using only eye to hand techniques clearly observed in his works, which would be why he has amassed a following of art collectors seeking quality and long term investment to pass on to future generations.

Like a quality hand knotted Persian carpet might show some flaws compared to a cheaper machine woven carpet, so one might occasionally see forgivable flaws or little peculiarities in his paintings too. Also in staying true to his staunch traditional style Jos does not use any photographic means to aid his work, neither pre-printed canvas, grid tracings, computer aided or other mechanical means to produce a piece which is a true rarity in this world.
Although his paintings take considerably longer to produce (only a small number of master works per year), they are created chiefly for the purists among art collectors.

Born in the Netherlands, in 1945, Christened Jozef, Wilhelmus, Henrikus, Cornelis. ‘Jos’ was the youngest of five children and descendant of a well established old Dutch family; the roots of which can be traced back to the early thirteenth century. In 1973 Jos immigrated to New Zealand where his life as a professional artist can be said to have truly begun with the support of a number of local N.Z. gallery owners and art lovers alike who saw his works as a much desired addition to the local scene. In late 1986, along with his wife Lydia and their four children, he moved to Sydney Australia; where he established a reputable name in the realist market before heading further north in 2004 to settle in Queensland where he now enjoys a much quieter life.