CEO Portrait Commission

To mark the retirement of Wil de Hollander, Velcro Industries commissioned Marvin to paint a portrait for permanent display in the company’s boardroom. Although Velcro had many chief executives throughout its history, only two other portraits hung in the boardroom at the time of Wil’s retirement. As Wil himself put it, “Very few made it to the finish line.”

What impressed Marvin most about Wil was not his title, but the path he took to achieve it. Wil began his career on the factory floor and worked his way up through the organization to eventually become Chief Executive Officer. Despite his success, he remained remarkably down to earth and was admired throughout the company for knowing the name of every employee and maintaining genuine relationships with the people around him.

The portrait grew out of conversations Marvin and Wil shared during the days leading up to the photographic sitting. While spending time together and discussing the commission, Marvin observed the way Wil naturally carried himself and recognized a pose that perfectly reflected his character—confident, comfortable, and completely unpretentious. The boardroom itself became the setting, allowing the portrait to remain connected to the place where Wil spent much of his professional life.

During those discussions, Marvin noticed an abstract sculpture in the room and asked about it. Wil explained that it represented the hook-and-loop structure that made Velcro famous. Marvin immediately recognized that the sculpture could play an important role in the composition. Its flowing shape created a visual counterpoint to Wil’s seated figure while reinforcing the portrait’s connection to the company he helped lead.

During the photographic sitting, Marvin worked much as he always does, spending considerable time preparing the lighting, composition, and camera setup before the subject ever steps in front of the lens. After reviewing one of the early photographs together, Wil remarked that it was the best photograph he had ever seen of himself. Later, as the session concluded and Wil prepared to return to work, he paused, smiled, and offered a simple observation: “It’s all in the prep.”

For Marvin, the comment perfectly reflected the qualities that had allowed Wil to rise from the factory floor to the executive suite. He understood the value of preparation, process, and attention to detail—principles that guided both his leadership and Marvin’s approach to portraiture.

Before the sitting concluded, Marvin asked if there was anything personal Wil would like included in the portrait. Wil jokingly replied that he would love to be holding a bottle of Heineken beer, a reference to his first job working in a Heineken factory in the Netherlands. While that was clearly inappropriate for a formal boardroom portrait, the exchange inspired another idea. Marvin suggested hiding a small Heineken bottle cap within the painting where only Wil would know to look. The cap was placed discreetly beside the sculpture as a private joke between artist and subject.

The secret did not last long. At the unveiling ceremony, Wil enthusiastically pointed out the hidden bottle cap to everyone in attendance.

For Marvin, this portrait was never simply about commemorating a successful executive. It was about honoring a man who never forgot where he started, who valued preparation and hard work, and who remained approachable and genuine despite extraordinary success. The result is a portrait that celebrates not only Wil’s accomplishments, but also the character that made those accomplishments possible.