Vintage Watch Fever

William Verdult was born April 7, 1939 in Putte, Netherlands on the Belgium-Holland border. He was a Dutch-American artist and sculptor whose paintings reflected a perspective that can only be gained by living daily with life and death, good and evil, compassion and horror, victory and defeat. Verdult’s subjects range from character studies to still-life surrealism, each emphasizing the beauty of man’s existence. Known as the “Dutchmaster,” Verdult studied under old masters in Rome, Belgium, Holland, France and the US, achieving his classical style. He was considered one of the most versatile and contemporary artists in the world. His portraits reveal a rarely achieved understanding and mastery of human anatomy, the precise contour and interaction of muscle and bone structure. While Verdult is most widely acclaimed for his classical portraits, his talents encompass an extraordinary variety of subjects like Madonna and child, Native Americans, nudes, seascapes and landscapes. Born during the uncertain backdrop of World War II, Verdult spent the first two years of his life in hospitals. Throughout his early years, he suffered from smallpox and rheumatic fever. Self-taught, Verdult started painting around that time. In 1950 at age 11, he moved with his family to the United States and spent his youth in North Dakota. His years in the Dakotas helped define some of his later works. From the Dakotas, his family moved to New York, where at age 16, Verdult spent most of his time in Times Square drawing, painting, watching and studying people of all nationalities. At 21, he moved to California and Newport Beach became his home. Within a year, he was awarded ‘Artist of the Year’ by the Orange County, Costa Mesa Art League. Shortly after, Verdult caught the eye of renowned sculptor Peter Ott, whom he studied under. He taught at the Carmel School of Art and in 1967, opened his gallery in the area. From 1968–77 as a tireless painter known for his 3 am start time, Verdult’s career soared. Demonstrating a rare blend of color and keen-aged sensitivity to his far-reaching subjects, he skillfully incorporated the classical, traditional, modern and avant-garde into a compelling, distinctive and multi-faceted art style. The artist opened galleries in Palm Beach, Laguna Beach and Palm Springs and art lovers, celebrities and investors were drawn to his paintings. After nearly 20 years of work, Verdult completed his rendition of King Tut Treasures. The paintings included gold, diamonds and precious stones. Though his exhibits and showings are too lengthy to list, they include headliner exhibits and showings of the Tut Collection and other works at the Sahara, Sands, Sundance and Marina hotels in Las Vegas, as well as five-star establishments in San Francisco, Corona Del Mar and Beverly Hills, Hollywood California, Atlanta, Hawaii, Florida and Texas. Though Verdult did not follow the traditional museum route in displaying and promoting his works, his art followers and personal friends include a list of Who’s Who in Hollywood, highlighted by his close friendship with Telly Savalas. Many collectors throughout the world own paintings by Verdult. Notable past and present collectors include Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Robert Redford, Frank Sinatra, Farrah Fawcett, Alfred Hitchcock, Tom Jones, Gene Autry, Red Skelton, Lee Majors, Jack Lord, Paul Newman, Elvis Presley and Zsa Zsa Gábor.William Verdult was born April 7, 1939 in Putte, Netherlands on the Belgium-Holland border. He was a Dutch-American artist and sculptor whose paintings reflected a perspective that can only be gained by living daily with life and death, good and evil, compassion and horror, victory and defeat. Verdult’s subjects range from character studies to still-life surrealism, each emphasizing the beauty of man’s existence. Known as the “Dutchmaster,” Verdult studied under old masters in Rome, Belgium, Holland, France and the US, achieving his classical style. He was considered one of the most versatile and contemporary artists in the world. His portraits reveal a rarely achieved understanding and mastery of human anatomy, the precise contour and interaction of muscle and bone structure. While Verdult is most widely acclaimed for his classical portraits, his talents encompass an extraordinary variety of subjects like Madonna and child, Native Americans, nudes, seascapes and landscapes. Born during the uncertain backdrop of World War II, Verdult spent the first two years of his life in hospitals. Throughout his early years, he suffered from smallpox and rheumatic fever. Self-taught, Verdult started painting around that time. In 1950 at age 11, he moved with his family to the United States and spent his youth in North Dakota. His years in the Dakotas helped define some of his later works. From the Dakotas, his family moved to New York, where at age 16, Verdult spent most of his time in Times Square drawing, painting, watching and studying people of all nationalities. At 21, he moved to California and Newport Beach became his home. Within a year, he was awarded ‘Artist of the Year’ by the Orange County, Costa Mesa Art League. Shortly after, Verdult caught the eye of renowned sculptor Peter Ott, whom he studied under. He taught at the Carmel School of Art and in 1967, opened his gallery in the area. From 1968–77 as a tireless painter known for his 3 am start time, Verdult’s career soared. Demonstrating a rare blend of color and keen-aged sensitivity to his far-reaching subjects, he skillfully incorporated the classical, traditional, modern and avant-garde into a compelling, distinctive and multi-faceted art style. The artist opened galleries in Palm Beach, Laguna Beach and Palm Springs and art lovers, celebrities and investors were drawn to his paintings. After nearly 20 years of work, Verdult completed his rendition of King Tut Treasures. The paintings included gold, diamonds and precious stones. Though his exhibits and showings are too lengthy to list, they include headliner exhibits and showings of the Tut Collection and other works at the Sahara, Sands, Sundance and Marina hotels in Las Vegas, as well as five-star establishments in San Francisco, Corona Del Mar and Beverly Hills, Hollywood California, Atlanta, Hawaii, Florida and Texas. Though Verdult did not follow the traditional museum route in displaying and promoting his works, his art followers and personal friends include a list of Who’s Who in Hollywood, highlighted by his close friendship with Telly Savalas. Many collectors throughout the world own paintings by Verdult. Notable past and present collectors include Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Robert Redford, Frank Sinatra, Farrah Fawcett, Alfred Hitchcock, Tom Jones, Gene Autry, Red Skelton, Lee Majors, Jack Lord, Paul Newman, Elvis Presley and Zsa Zsa Gábor.

Used to refer to a time rather than an aesthetic, Contemporary art generally describes pieces created after 1970 or being made by living artists anywhere in the world. This immediacy means it encompasses art responding to the present moment through diverse subjects, media and themes. Contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, performance, digital art, video and more frequently includes work that is attempting to reshape current ideas about what art can be, from Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s use of candy to memorialize a lover he lost to AIDS-related complications to Jenny Holzer’s ongoing “Truisms,” a Conceptual series that sees provocative messages printed on billboards, T-shirts, benches and other public places that exist outside of formal exhibitions and the conventional “white cube” of galleries.

Contemporary art has been pushing the boundaries of creative expression for years. Its disruption of the traditional concepts of art are often aiming to engage viewers in complex questions about identity, society and culture. In the latter part of the 20th century, contemporary movements included Land art, in which artists like Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer create large-scale, site-specific sculptures, installations and other works in soil and bodies of water; Sound art, with artists such as Christian Marclay and Susan Philipsz centering art on sonic experiences; and New Media art, in which mass media and digital culture inform the work of artists such as Nam June Paik and Rafaël Rozendaal.

The first decades of the 21st century have seen the growth of Contemporary African art, the revival of figurative painting, the emergence of street art and the rise of NFTs, unique digital artworks that are powered by blockchain technology.

Major Contemporary artists practicing now include Ai Weiwei, Cecily Brown, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Kara Walker.

Find a collection of Contemporary prints, photography, paintings, sculptures and other art on 1stDibs.