Hennie Niemann was born in Bloemfontein in 1972 to Magriet and Hennie Niemann. In 1980 they moved to Vermont where Hennie Jr was introduced to art at a very early age.
He began sketching under the guiding eye of his father, also and Gregoire Boonzaier. After matriculating from Hermanus High School and finishing his military service Hennie embarked on an artistic career working mainly in bistre (type of ink sketches) and oil. His first solo-exhibition in 1993 was a sell-out and in 1994 he met artist Angela Key and together they set up a permanent in Vermont. They then held a highly successful exhibition of their works in 1996. In 2002 Hennie traveled to Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia to collect reference material for paintings. Hennie was invited to show at the ‘Exhibition of Contemporary South African Art’ in Chelsea, London where his paintings sold out. Since then his works have grown in stature and he has become one of the most sought after contemporary artists in South Africa.