Sal Meijer

Who was Sal Meijer?

Salomon "Sal" Meijer was a Dutch painter, primarily known for his paintings of cats and Amsterdam city views.

Sal or "Sally" Meijer was born at Zwanenburgwal 10 as the son of Jewish diamond-cutters. In his youth, he worked in the diamond industry while studying art. He devoted himself full-time to painting in 1914. His first one-man exhibition was in 1926.

His marriage to the non-Jewish Liesje Giehl in 1930 caused so much friction with his parents that he moved out of his parents' home and moved the following year to the village of Blaricum, which had a vibrant artists' community. After the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II, Meijer was banned from exhibiting his paintings; however, his mixed marriage enabled him to survive the war. In 1957, he was honored at a ceremony by the Blaricum artists' society to mark his 80th birthday. At this occasion, the Dutch state purchased one of his paintings, depicting the Raamgracht canal in Amsterdam.

In 1958, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam presented an overview of his work. After his death in 1965, a memorial exhibition was held at Zeist palace. Meijer was buried at the Jewish cemetery in Muiderberg.