Frits MONDRIAAN

Frederic Hendrik (Frits) Mondriaan (born April 16, 1853, in The Hague; died December 16, 1932, in The Hague) was a Dutch amateur landscape painter and the uncle of the famous painter Piet Mondrian.

He was the son of Willem Frederik Mondriaan, whose barbershop, perfumery, and wig-making business in The Hague he took over in 1878. Frits also worked as a house painter. Around 1885, he began painting more seriously, focusing on landscapes in the style of the Hague School. He frequently visited his brother Pieter Cornelis in Winterswijk, where he supported young Piet Mondrian in learning to draw. In 1905, he also taught American artist Theresa van Raalte. Frits married Josephine Marie Destrée (1854–1928), and together they had at least one son who reached adulthood, Frederic Hendrik Mondriaan, who became a shopkeeper.