Biography
Born in Weert (the Netherlands) in 1967
Education for teacher in Arts and Art History at Fontys Academies Tilburg (Nl). Graduated in 1989.
Since 1993 his work is shown at many exhibitions in galleries, museums and art fairs
Van Hoef’s travels are of vital importance to the devolopment of his art. The fascination with the aspect of “change” gives rise to a number of trips to areas in Central Asia. A common feature of the destinations is the process of change (whether political, social, economic and/or cultural) that the areas, both recently and in long-term historical context, have undergone. In 1995, he traveled by Trans-Siberian Express and visited areas in Russia, Mongolia, and China. Also of interest were trips to countries along the Silk Road route (1996 and 2000), such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Northwest China, and the Middle East in 1999 (Syria, Lebanon and Jordan).
Several visits to Hongkong from 2006 – 2015 caused a change of the thematic focus in his paintings. Urban Landscapes where the perception of reality is artificial, constructed and far removed from the ‘normal’ idea of nature became the main subject until 2018. Recent travels to Singapore, Beijing and Japan changed the subjects of his actual paintings again towards gardens and reflections in water surfaces.
