Jan Vermeiren is an artist whose work bridges two rich and vastly different cultures. On the one hand there is his European heritage, on the other, the profound influence of Africa, which is now his home. This duality brings an exciting and unusual dimension to his work.

Jan was born in Bornem, Belgium in 1949. From a very early age drawing was an important means of expression for him and he began formal art training while still at school. Later he studied full time at the Academy St. Niklaas and the Academy of mechelen, and then at the National Hoger Institute in Antwerp.

As a student, print making was his special interest, and it was only when he moved to South Africa in 1976 that he became a painter. His decision to move came after he had spent a year in the country during 1973/4 when he was invited to teach lithography. He was profoundly influenced by the extensive range of colours, which he found here, after the relative greyness of Belgium. These ‘African’ colours are very evident in his work-both in the earthy tomes, and in the dark, atmospheric backgrounds which appear in his more recent work.

Jan Vermeiren’s work can be found in the acclaimed South African Sanlam and Sasol collections, also in SA Museums in Pretoria, Durban and Bloemfontein, in numerous private collections and internationally, in museums in Belgium and Yugoslavia.

Jan has been a friend and supporter of Light from Africa since the very beginning and is continuously supporting the foundation in all of its projects. Thank you, Jan!