Jan Simon Knikker (Leiden 1911-1990 The Hague) comes from a family of painters. Cousin Aris and father Jan Simon preceded him. Jan Knikker senior was a self-taught artist and settled at the turn of the century on the edge of the city of The Hague with a panoramic view of the landscape beyond. This way, Oude Jan and junior could gain unlimited inspiration from their home to capture their impressions of nature on linen. Junior then trained at the Academy of Visual Arts in The Hague (1928-1932) and painted landscapes and cityscapes around The Hague in a figurative style as a follower of the Hague School.

It was not easy for the Knikkers in the early years to sell their paintings. Traders regularly ordered paintings which they then purchased on consignment and which were then sold at auction for around ten guilders. There was little left for Knikkers. Knikker, like others, also made unsigned works for Welther in The Hague who, depending on where the painting was exported to, signed it with a good-sounding name such as H. Endlich or W. Markenstein for the German market and Henk Welther for the North American. He really produced, instead of trying to be an artist; So a lot of his work can be found at auctions and in various houses. That was already the case at the time, because it is not known that he had exhibited.

The later Jan Knikker junior was a bon vivant who regularly had a drink and a cigar and always dressed well. He painted exclusively during the day and never in artificial light. Until the last years of his life, Jan Knikker junior had assignments for years so that he never had to worry about money later. His cityscapes were certainly internationally popular.