Portrait of Willy Boers

The 1 Most Famous Willy Boers Paintings, Each One of a Kind

Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 1 works by Willy Boers in our catalogue

In short

Skull Still Life (1933) is the Willy Boers painting that draws the most eyes. Among the 1 works of Willy Boers in our catalog, these 1 are the most famous, each a unique original presented with its year, its museum and the reason it endures.

1905 – 1978, Amsterdam

Top 10 paintings by Willy Boers, through the gallery's eye

Willy Boers across the years: the unique originals of each

All the dated Willy Boers originals shown here belong to a single year, 1933: they appear in order of fame.

Works per year

Pick a year to see its originals.

Willy Boers's paintings: questions for the gallery

What is the single most famous work of Willy Boers?Reveal the answer

Skull Still Life (1933).

At what age did Willy Boers create Skull Still Life?Reveal the answer

28 years old: Skull Still Life dates from 1933, and Willy Boers was born in 1905.

How many works by Willy Boers are known?Reveal the answer

Our catalog holds 1 works by Willy Boers.

Willy Boers: a portrait of the artist

The Artistic Evolution of Willy Boers

Born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Willy Boers emerged from a Dutch-German banking family. Though he began his professional journey as a trained restorer, he ultimately chose the path of a painter, working as an autodidact. His early creative output in the 1930s was characterized by a realistic style akin to New Objectivity. Throughout his career, Boers demonstrated a vast versatility, producing portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, and still lifes, while also exploring non-figurative and abstract works. He often signed his pieces with the mark WBoers.

As his career progressed, Boers became a significant figure in the movement toward abstraction. Following 1945, his work transitioned into a fully abstract style. He was a co-founder of the group Vrij Beelden in 1946 and later helped establish the Amsterdam artists' group Creatie in 1949, an association dedicated to the promotion of "Absolute Art." His later years saw him experimenting with various forms, including:

Technique and Artistic Circles

Boers's technical approach was deeply informed by his background in restoration, which allowed him to apply practical expertise to the preparation and treatment of his materials, such as paper, canvas, and paint. His later explorations into materiel works and collages reflected this intimate knowledge of medium. His artistic life was closely intertwined with several influential groups and exhibitions, including:

In addition to his visual practice, Boers was a gifted author who wrote numerous insightful pieces regarding abstract art. His life and work were also connected to his wife, the sculptor Greet van Amstel.