Grandmother and Nana

1999 / Graphite on paper / 27 x 35 cm

Van de Graaf’s Nana (his English grandmother) has been of great importance of his early artistic career. Being an amateur painter herself and an admirer of Monet, Chagall and Picasso it was one of Robert’s first confrontations with art.

She was the first to recognise that Van de Graaf could use professional training from an artist, so she gave him professional lessons as a Christmas present. Van de Graaf was always drawing and creating as a child, but this has been a very important step towards his professional career as an artist.