Edgar Fernhout was born in Bergen on 17 August 1912. He died in Bergen on 4 November 1974. His mother was the famous Dutch painter Charley Toorop, while his grandfather was the painter Jan Toorop. He started to paint at a young age. Initially, his paintings were rendered in a realistic style. Among his subjects were portraits, self-portraits and still lifes. Thanks to his mother's many contacts, he came into contact with celebrated artists like Piet Mondriaan (1872-1944) and with developments in the field of film and photography. As a result, his paintings tended towards abstraction in the course of the fifties.