Clement Serneels (1912 – 1991) was the son of a Spanish mother and Flemish father. He went to school in Brussels. In 1936 while at the Academie he won a government scholarship for a one year painting trip to the Congo. On his return to Brussels he had an exhibition of his Congo paintings, it was a sell-out. He then left once again to continue working in the Congo.

In 1939 during World War II he settled at Lake Kivu, Congo. Then in 1945 Clement visited South Africa and stayed for some months in Cape Town. He had sell-out exhibitions in both Cape Town and Johannesburg. In 1948 he revisited South Africa and had another successful exhibition in Johannesburg. From there he took his work on an exhibition tour of Mexico and the USA.

From 1951 – 1960 he continued to live at Lake Kivu in the Congo, although continuously making visits to Europe and holding exhibitions in Brussels and Lisbon. Following upheavals in the Congo, Clement Serneels moved to Johannesburg in South Africa where is established himself as a successful artist.