Floris Verster (1861-1927) is one of the most underappreciated painters of the (late) ‘Haagse School’ movement.
He was born in Leiden into an artistically inclined family and went on to receive drawing lessons from George Hendrik Breitner (1857-1923) before attending the Royal Academy of Fine Art in The Hague. Verster is known for his landscapes, portraits and still life paintings. Whereas his early work was indeed inspired by the highly realistic and slightly somber-paletted Haagse School, his later work is more colourful and somewhat rougher in terms of brushstrokes. This is mainly due to his connections to avant-garde artists such as Jan Toorop (1858-1925) and the Belgian artists’ group Les Vingt.
The Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden as well as the Krüller-Möller Museum in Otterlo own a significant collection of his works.