Cornelis Johannes (Kees) Maks(Amsterdam, August 22, 1876 - October 28, 1967) was a Dutch painter. He signed his work as C.J. Maks. He is related to the Bergen School and the Hague School.
The painter Kees Maks was a student of G.H. Breitner, which is reflected in the bold, robust imagery of his paintings.
He divided his time between Amsterdam and Paris and mainly painted scenes from fashionable nightlife, such as circus performances, dancing couples, walking companies and garden parties. These scenes were hitherto unknown themes in Dutch art.
The lively subjects and the frivolous way of painting, in which the artist formed large areas of color and extreme contrasts of light and shadow with bright, bright colours, impressed the audience. His work was considered non-Dutch by his contemporaries, but was well received in France, especially in Paris. Between 1910 and 1945 Maks took part in the annual Salons of the capital.
Kees Maks is considered one of the most important modern, figurative artists of the early 20th century. While avant-garde painting made its mark in Europe in the first quarter of the 20th century, many artists in the interwar period returned to a more neo-classical figuration, which came to be known as retour à l'ordre. Particularly in Paris, these figurative artists, including Kees van Dongen and Jan Sluijters, acquired fame.
