Kees Maks

Dutch painter Kees Maks was considered one of the most important painters of figurative art of his time and participated in two Olympic Art Competitions in 1928 and 1948 in the category paintings. He studied at the Rijksakademie and then trained under George Hendrik Breitner (1857-1923), who was an important Impressionist and photographer at that time. From 1901-05 he lived in Paris, Madrid, and Roma. Maks was known for his paintings of fashionable night life, especially in Paris, using new motifs such as circus acts, dancing couples and garden parties, previously unknown in Dutch art. His buoyant subjects and frivolous way of painting, in simplified, yet bright, strong colors, impressed the public.

According to a contemporary description, his painting submitted in 1928 and titled Passage shows a circus motif in strong color tones. Therefore, it could well be Mevrouw Renz op haar Engelsche volbloed (Mrs. Renz on her English thoroughbred), an oil painting on canvas in the format 51.2 x 68.3 cm. A similar painting in a larger format is in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. However, a large number of paintings by his hand depicts circus riders, showing the “High School”. Only one painting has the name of Ernst Schumann in the title: De heer Ernst Schuman in de Hooge School (oil on canvas, 99 x 94 cm) can be assumed to be his 1928 entry. Therese Renz (1859-1938) and Ernst Schumann (1884-1960) were both circus riders and directors.