José van Kleef Dutch, b. 1956

José van Kleef (1956, Utrecht) is a Dutch painter known for her enigmatic and dreamlike small-format oil paintings. She mainly works with human, animal and natural subjects and tries to express the longing for a world that no longer exists, a resistance against hectic modern life. Van Kleef paints a world that she would like to see around her.

Her work is characterised by a mysterious atmosphere: mythical creatures, goddesses, archetypal figures and animals take centre stage and often stare intently at the viewer.

She is self-taught and works mainly with oil paint on panel or canvas. Each painting begins as an abstract colour composition without a preconceived plan, with the final forms emerging organically during the painting process.