Willem Vester (1824 - 1895)

Willem Vester

Willem Vester was a Dutch landscape and animal painter. He was trained in Haarlem from 1840 to 1843 by the artist Jan Jacob Spöhler (1811–1866). He joined the Haarlem artists' association Kunst Zij Ons Doel, where he met Anton Mauve. He exhibited frequently and took part in the annual "Tentoonstelling van Levende Meesters" (Exhibition of the Living Masters) several times. He mainly painted summer and winter landscapes, often with cows and cattle, later also with figures and buildings. Rarely he also painted portraits and cityscapes. In order to earn a living, Vester also worked as a house and carriage painter and later also as a photographer.