Jelle Taeke de Boer

Who was Jelle Taeke de Boer?

Jelle Taeke de Boer was a Dutch art collector born in Meppel, Drenthe. He grew up in a poor family, with his mother dying when he was four years old, and his father an alcoholic.

During the depression of the 1930s, Jelle was having trouble raising a family, yet found motivation in Vincent van Gogh as a role model. He eventually became nearly obsessed with him, collecting literature and eventually anything attributed to him. His mission in life was to find the nearly 800 pieces that could be traced back to Van Gogh. He quickly became an expert on the subject of the painter.