William Boissevain, Portrait, 1975, Pencil on Paper, Framed

Beautiful portrait pancil on paper dated 1975 and signed by William Boissevain.
William Boissevain born 1927 in New York.
Studies in Paris and London.
The son of a Dutch diplomat, Boissevain studied in Paris and London before coming to Australia in 1947. He has exhibited works in Western Australia and Sydney regularly since his arrival in Australia. He won the Helena Rubinstein Prize in 1961 and the Perth prize for Drawing International in 1971. Boissevain’s works are represented in several state Galleries as well as overseas collections. He is now currently residing in Western Australia. He had come to Perth to visit his mother in 1947 and liked the place so much he decided to stay.

On October the 21st 1998 a Coffee table book on William Boissevain was launched at an exhibition of his works at Stafford studios in Cottesloe. The book contains an essay on Boissevain’s life, plus dozens of images on Boissevain’s work.. He has lived in Shanghai, during W.W.II he was interned for nine months at a Shanghai hotel when the Japanese invaded China. He has also been a leading figure in the development of Western Australian Art in the post war period.

In the 1950’s and 60’s he was part of a part of a pioneering group of Artists such as Robert Juniper, George Haynes and Guy Grey – Smith who helped create a market for local artists.

His more famous artworks involve nudes, still life’s, and animals with the beauty which they all allude. His work has been selling well across the country, for more than four decades. He uses a variety of different mediums, mainly oils, but watercolour and pastels have previously been used.