Featured by Online Gallery · 31 August 2026René Arns: From Fighter Pilot to PortraitistAfter decades in the cockpit, a Dutch artist rediscovered drawing and hasn't stopped since.Featured by Online Gallery · 29 August 2026René Arns: A Second Act in ColourA former fighter pilot discovers his artistic calling and paints with the precision of someone who's lived fully.
Exhibition · 29 December 2025The Public Award of the Amateur Exhibition in Huize Kernhem won!I participated in the traditional AmateurXposition that is organized every year in December by Huize Kernhem in Ede. This year for the 32nd time already. There…About René Arns
Ede, Netherlands
René Arns was born in Rotterdam in 1954 and grew up in Amersfoort from the age of five. After a 39-year career in the Royal Air Force as a fighter pilot, including deployment to Afghanistan, he left with honorable discharge. During those years he underwent a process of self-discovery that rekindled a talent for drawing from his youth.
He now works daily in pastel, acrylic, and oil paint, focusing on figurative art and landscapes. His particular interest is in portraiture, finding beauty in people's faces. He has painted portraits for private collectors and accepts commissions for portrait work.
Arns won the Audience Award in December 2025 at the amateur exhibition at Huize Kernhem in Ede.
