Bert Verheij, born in Sliedrecht in 1956 and graduated from the Academy of Art in Rotterdam in 1983.

After his studies at the Academy, Bert mainly engaged in the production of etchings for more than ten years. He has specialized in etching zinc, using a refined aquatint technique. The etchings were produced in a way that Bert had everything under control: the idea, the composition, the execution and even the form were subordinated to the idea. Bert's etchings have a philosophical tint, resulting in very quiet, abstract graphics of high artistic and technical quality. Reason for an honorable mention at the Dutch Graphics Prize in 1988. Bert has exhibited his graphics at home and abroad.

After more than ten years, in the mid-1990s, Bert made the transition from making etchings to making paintings. Figuration plays a major role in the new work. The paintings have the theme of 'the current society', which is presented to us by glossy magazines, commercials, films, internet, etc. From which the absurd image arises that the world is perfect and that everyone in this heaven on earth is immortal, rich, and can stay young forever. Control over the image, as a recurring visual element in the form of a grid that overlays the image and is at the same time part of the image, can be seen in the paintings that were created in the mid-1990s. The grids are primarily intended to indicate that each grid is a self-contained painting, which is (again) part of a never-ending, ever-expanding work of art. These paintings are notable for their large dimensions.