CAREL BREST VAN KEMPEN was born in the Wasatch Mountains, east of Salt Lake City (Utah, USA) where he continues to live
and work. Carel Brest van Kempen's paintings have received widespread acclaim and have been exhibited throughout the world, earning a number of prestigious awards in the USA. He is recognized as one of the greatest living wildlife painters. In 1994, he was elected to membership in the Society of Animal Artists, which bestowed on him their highest honor, "The Award of Excellence" nine times (1994, '96, '97, '04, '06, '10, '12, '14 and ‘19). An avid world traveler and researcher, Carel has contributed to numerous publications regarding wildlife conservation and environmental health and biodiversity. Carel Brest van Kempen's work can also be found in the permanent collections of The Springville Art Museum in Utah, The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin, The World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho, and the Bennington Center for the Arts in Vermont. He has illustrated a number of books and written the text for "Rigor Vitae: Life Unyielding" a book of his own paintings, as well as the foreword and introduction for two published collections of wildlife art.