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Toon Kelder is one of a number of painters inspired by the Parisian avant-garde artists to develop a highly personal style in the early years of the twentieth century. At the same time, his work was shaped by a constant drive to innovate. In the 1920s he painted flowers, figures and nudes – mostly using his wife Alexandrine as a model – all rendered in expressive colours. Through the 1930s up to around 1945, he evolved subtly stylised female forms depicted in soft, hazy hues, but also riders on horseback and mythical figures in wooded landscapes. After 1945 he gave up figurative painting and devoted himself to creating abstract sculptures. He spent some time in Antibes where he made nice ink drawings. He is considered to be a member of de Nieuwe Haagse School.