Anton Rooskens was born on March 16, 1906 in the Dutch Griendtsveen. Anton was an artist, painter and metal working teacher at the Don Boscoschool in Amsterdam. As a painter he was known as an autodidact. The artist was a member of the foundation of the Experimental Group in Holland, which later dissolved into the Cobra-movement. Rooskens was only involved in the Cobra-movement for a short amount of time.
Of all the painters related to Cobra, he was the one providing his fellow colleagues Karel Appel and Corneille with paint and canvases.
Initially Rooskens worked in an expressionist style with a clear influence of Vincent van Gogh. From 1945 onwards his works became more experimental. Affected by the simple, clean shapes of folk art (New-Guinea, Africa and India), he developed his own way of expression, aligned with the Cobra tradition.
The artist passed away in 1976.
