Willem Frans Karel Hussem (born in Rotterdam on January 29, 1900, died in The Hague on July 21, 1974) was a versatile Dutch artist, known as a painter, sculptor and poet.
Hussem received his training from Dirk Nijland and took lessons at the Rotterdam Academy. Between 1918 and 1936 he stayed in Paris, where he made contacts with leading artists such as Piet Mondriaan and Pablo Picasso. The influence of Picasso and Vincent van Gogh is clearly noticeable in his style.
In 1936, Hussem finally chose The Hague as his home base, where he settled in the Mijtensstraat in the Schilderswijk. After the Second World War his art evolved towards abstraction. He was active in art movements such as Fugare, the Liga Nieuw Beelden and Verve, and his work is associated with the New Hague School.
Despite his national and international recognition, including winning the Jacob Maris Prize three times (1952 and 1955 for painting, 1958 for drawing) and an invitation to the Venice Biennale, his family lived in modest circumstances.
His works of art are part of the collections of: Kunstmuseum The Hague, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Dordrechts Museum and the Rijksmuseum Twenthe in Enschede
The Posthoorngroep formed around Hussem, a collective of artists who were involved in painting, poetry, or both. This group was named after a well-known catering establishment in The Hague.
As a poet and illustrator, Hussem made his debut in 1940 with "The Coast Line", published by L.J.C. Boucher, followed by "Sea View" at A.A.M. Stols in 1941. He also illustrated with a pen drawing of trees in "Een lied van Isoude" by P.C. Boutens (1941). In the 1960s he published several collections of poetry, including the well-known "Voor twee dacharren bluebekken" (1966). His poetry, often enriched with his own illustrations, continued to appear after his death, the last being "Say with ink" (2011). Hussem maintained a friendship with Simon Carmiggelt.
From 1967 onwards Hussem started creating metal sculptures.
A tragic incident involved an aluminum artwork by Hussem, estimated at approximately 100,000 euros, which was accidentally destroyed in 2017 during the demolition of a post office in Raalte. The work of art was one of the last objects to be destroyed in a shredder because the project developer had not been informed of its cultural value.
