Willem van den Berg was born on February 16, 1886 in The Hague, where he first trained with his father, Andries van den Berg, a painter, printmaker and art teacher. In 1903, he enrolled at the Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunst in The Hague. Van den Berg took study trips to Belgium, Italy, England, and France, where he exhibited at the Jeu de Paume in Paris in 1926. In 1935, Van den Berg exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago and continued to paint and show internationally throughout his career. By 1938 he moved to Amsterdam, where he first taught and later became director of the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, following in August Allebé’s footsteps.

Like many of his contemporaries, Van den Berg found inspiration in the nineteenth century Amsterdam zoo Artis, sketching animals to be further worked into lithographs, woodcuts, drawings, or paintings in the studio. Funny creatures captured his imagination as the recurrence of large birds indicate. Visiting the aviaries, his favorite bird of prey was the condor, the large, majestic bird from the Andes of South America and parts of North America. Painted in a sparse setting, far removed from its natural habitat, it channels Albrecht Dürer, one of the first artists to elevate animals to a subject worthy of artistic attention. Symbol of power, the vulture represents the ability to soar above earthly concerns and gain a higher perspective.