Domela was born in Amsterdam where he received his first tuition. In 1924 He went to Paris and there met Piet Mondrian and Théo van Doesberg and joined their de Stijl group. In 1926 he moved to Berlin where his work developed into Plasticism. He made mainly reliefs in wood, metal, glass and 'found' materials. His work is found in the collections of most modern art museums around the world