Josef Ongenae (1921-1993) was one of the first abstract artists to emerge in post-war Holland and Belgium. Working alongside painters such as André van der Vossen (1893-1963), Ongenae developed an impersonal, geometric, and objective style reminiscent of the non-representational approaches of Dutch artists like Piet Mondrian and the De Stijl (Neoplasticism) movement. His experiments with color theory and geometric design were deeply influenced by the aftermath of World War II, which rendered traditional realism, popular in the 1930s, less relevant. Abstraction, previously condemned by the Nazis as “degenerative art,” became a vehicle for re-establishing hope and constructing a new visual language for society.

William Sandberg, the Director of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, organized exhibitions showcasing Ongenae’s work alongside contemporaries such as van der Vossen, Hans Ittman (1914-1972), and Willy Boers (1905-1978). While these works initially provoked scandal and controversy among both the public and the press, they ultimately contributed to the acceptance and maturation of this new style of artistic expression.