Cornelis Kloos (11 November 1895 – 8 April 1976) was a Dutch painter and sculptor, known for his figurative work and his opposition to the rise of abstract art.
Born in Rotterdam as the son of a wealthy businessman, Kloos moved with his family to The Hague in 1900. After losing both parents at a young age, he continued his education at the HBS on the Nieuwe Duinweg and later served as a reserve officer during the First World War.
After the war, he began studying mining engineering in Delft, but his passion for art led him to the Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague, where he completed a five-year course in one and a half years (1922-1923). He then studied with Hans Hoffmann in Munich and with André Lhôte in Paris.
Kloos began his career as a drawing teacher, but after 1925 he chose art entirely. He became a member of Pulchri Studio and the Haagse Kunstkring. His work consisted mainly of landscapes and portraits of young women, often depicted nude.
Some critics considered his work erotic, but Kloos saw beauty and eroticism as inextricably linked. He remained faithful to figurative art and had no ties to the emerging abstract movements.
Kloos exhibited both nationally and internationally and took part in art competitions during the Olympic Games of 1928, 1932 and 1936. In 1939 his work was included in the exhibition "Onze Kunst van Heden" (Our Contemporary Art) in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
From 1947 onwards, Kloos created a sculpture garden on the Clingendael estate in The Hague, where he created statues and groups of statues in the middle of nature. In 1962, a fire destroyed his studio, and much of his work was lost.
He held his last exhibition in 1959 at Pulchri Studio, where he introduced his "aqualux": watercolours with depth effects created by a lamp behind the work. Shortly afterwards he resigned his membership in protest against the rise of abstract art, which he strongly opposed.
Cornelis Kloos died on 8 April 1976 in The Hague.
