Nico Heilijgers Dutch, b. 1964

Nico Heilijgers (1964, Utrecht) is a versatile Dutch artist, best known as a painter and musician. He studied at the Minerva Academy under Matthijs Röling and Diederik Kraaijpoel and is known for his traditional, figurative style.

He mainly paints still lifes, cityscapes and portraits. Nico Heilijgers' paintings are strongly influenced by traditional painting in terms of subject matter and execution. He does not shy away from occasionally giving a nod to art history by incorporating references to prominent predecessors in his work. In his still lifes, he uses what he considers to be the obvious subjects that characterise this genre: fresh lemons, plump pomegranates and apothecary bottles. Nico's aim is to create a good and exciting painting. Heilijgers searches for that magical, poetic quality. What is the secret of the composition, the colour, the light/dark ratio and the brushwork that results in a literally picturesque atmosphere?

In 2022, he painted the official portrait of former mayor Jan van Zanen for Utrecht City Hall. In addition to being a passionate painter, Heilijgers is an experienced bass player who played in various rhythm and blues, soul and roots bands and later collaborated with artists such as J.W. Roy, Mick Taylor and Smokey Wilson.