Jan van Gemert was born in Gemert, the third of twelve children. His father was Marinus van Gemert (1894–1978), an ex-sergeant and worker in the textile industry. His mother, Dora Gruijters (1894–1982), originated from a gardening family. At the age of 13, Jan becomes involved in an accident, and he was missing a leg. Three years later, he enrolled in the management program of the Catholic Workers Union in Helmond, where he graduated in 1940. That same year, he fled the Arbeidseinsatz and found refuge in the home of the Dutch painter and ceramic artist Willi Martinali in Deurne. During the war, he received drawing lessons from the portraitist Jacques Stroucken. He married Anna Maria van den Broek (1921–1994) in Helmond, with whom he had three children: Petra, Gregor, and Theo. After the war, he returned to Gemert and had various jobs, including as a house servant, textile worker, clerk and assistant cooks. He also receives assignments together with Willi Martinali to teach courses "Free Expression" to schools and community centers. In 1952, he built his own studio with assistance of the mayor of Gemert De Bekker. In 1954, he completed his training at the
Design Academy Eindhoven, where he was educated by
Jan Gregoor and Jacques van Rijn. He became a member of the General Catholic Artists Association and the Eindhoven club Cultural Contact, which was under the leadership of Jan Henselmans Louis Friday and French Babylon. In 1956, together with Jan Kuhr, Jean Nies, and Piet van Hemme he founded the arts center "De Vrije Expressieven," which however would be short-lived. In 1959, he was appointed lecturer at the Secondary Technical School in Eindhoven, and shortly after he joined the Social Academy Eindhoven, where he would teach until 1975. From the mid-seventies, Jan van Gemert had a relation with textile artist Rick Boesewinkel (1931-1993), whom he married a few years before his death. == Work ==