Paul Verrees

Jozef Paul Verrees (1889–1942) was a Belgian painter, teacher, poster designer and etcher.

Born in Turnhout, Jozef Paul Verrees studied architectural drawing at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp (Nationaal Hoger Instituut voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, NHISKA) from 1906 to 1908 under the direction of Juliaan De Vriendt (1842–1935) and Charles Mertens (1865–1919), as well as engraving in the workshop of Piet Verhaert, then in that of Frans Lauwers (1854–1931), who taught him the art of etching, where Verrees would prove himself remarkably gifted.

[1] In May 1914, he presented his engravings at the triennial salon of the General Exhibition of Fine Arts at the Palais du Cinquantenaire in Brussels.

[2] After the start of the First World War, wounded during the first combats, he was evacuated to Scotland where he crossed paths with Frank Brangwyn.

[3] After the war, he returned to Belgium, settled in Westmalle, and became professor and director in 1929 of the Turnhout art school.