Jos Kivits was born at Eindhoven in the Netherlands on September 30, 1945. He studied art at school and at the age of 10 he did his first oil paintings. He started lessons under a local artist two years later.
He began his career as a draughtsman in an architect's office and was later a layout draughtsman in a big printing office.
Jos collected paintings and restored old paintings. He studied the old masters and spent a lot of time finding out about their techniques.
He painted for a short time with Cornelius la Mair, a master of fine arts, before leaving the Netherlands in 1973.
Jos has the ability to rival nature in his still-life studies, and places high importance on the composition and quality of his subjects, so that when his work is finished its appearance is as close to nature as is possible. It is so realistic you are tempted to touch and then to feel the silky finish and sheer artistry.
Jos can translate any ordinary object into the indelible beauty of oils. It is the extreme realism of his paintings that is admirable - at one time his little son reached out to a painting to pick some grapes, only to find they were not real.
Another attribute which inspires one tremendously is the spiritual depth of his paintings, which symbolises the depth of his character.
Jos Kivits is truly one of the outstanding artists of our times, whose works are much sought after, and continue to inspire those who own them.