The art of photography has taken Eddy Posthuma de Boer to over 85 countries: he has been witness to historical events and come face to face with the greats of the world. Throughout his career, he has predominantly been on the road for his work as a photojournalist. Alongside his journalistic photography, he has also always produced personal work, which he has compiled into dozens of photo books.
The humanist photography movement, which emerged in Europe shortly after World War II, has had a significant impact on Posthuma de Boer’s work. This socially documentary movement was characterized by capturing the human experience, documenting the traditions and customs that connect us as humans, and having a sincere belief in societal progress. Eva Besnyö (1910-2003) – a major source of inspiration and a ‘photography mother’ to Postuma de Boer – is considered part of this movement, along with Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) and Robert Doisneau (1912-1994).
But Eddy Posthuma de Boer also displays another side of the post-war period: the rise of youth culture with jazz and rock ‘n’ roll music, and the widespread social unrest of the late 1960s and 1970s. In this regard, the photographer aligns himself with illustrious contemporaries and fellow professionals such as Ed van der Elsken (1925-1990) and Johan van der Keuken (1938-2001): the generation of existentialism that placed their individual view of the world at the heart of their work and no longer believed in the myth of progress. As such, Posthuma de Boer’s optimistic worldview does have a raw edge to it.
www.ftn-books.com has several publications on Posthuma de Boer available.
Since his student days, Brinkmann has been working with found objects and constantly tinkering with old things. Initially, he remained invisible in his work, but this changed when he had to move various objects for an exhibition a few years ago.
He became exhausted and momentarily lost his sense of why he created art. In a state of disarray, he decided to photograph himself with as many objects as he could carry. “In hindsight, this photo was the starting point for all the works you see here. The overarching theme is the relationship between the human body and objects,” says the German artist.
The pronounced work of German artist Thorsten Brinkmann encompasses photography, sculpture, performance, and installation. Through his art, Brinkmann shows us how humans relate to the objects around them. He playfully selects and combines objects – and the stories that come with them – in his studio. The results of this process take on various forms, including photography, sculpture, three-dimensional installations, and video art.
Since his student days, Brinkmann has been working with found objects and constantly tinkering with old things. Initially, he remained invisible in his work, but this changed when he had to move various objects for an exhibition a few years ago.
www.ftn-books.com has the invitation for GEM exhibition now available.
Pierre Gilliard photographed the last days in the lives of the Romanovs.
On March 8, 1917, during the Russian Revolution, the communist army forced Tsar Nicholas II Romanov to abdicate his throne. Years of war and famine had led to protests and strikes, and with the army joining the rebels, the days of the Romanov imperial family were numbered. After a few months of house arrest and a move to a “safer place,” Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their five children – Olga, Tatjana, Maria, Anastasia, and Alexey – were executed by the Bolshevik army. Their gruesome deaths, the rare blood disease of Crown Prince Alexey, and the involvement of faith healer Rasputin continue to captivate the imagination, ensuring that the Romanov family remains a subject of fascination. Countless books and films have been made about the life of Anastasia and the mystery surrounding her death alone.
Around 1911, Pierre Gilliard began photographing the family and remained involved until shortly before their death. During these years, he captured both official events and home scenes, went on holidays with the family, and followed the children in their free time, such as playing “war.” The exhibition features over seventy modern enlargements of his original negatives.
www.ftn-books.com has the invitation for the exhibition at the Fotomuseum now available.
Het oeuvre van Michel Hoogervorst (1961, Nederland) bestaat uit tekeningen, etsen en schilderijen van acryl- en alkydverf. Door het gebruik van lijnen en vlakken worden de doeken in compartimenten opgedeeld. Binnen deze rasters vertelt de kunstenaar zijn verhaal. Zijn werk verbeeldt vaak ingetogen observaties van alledaagse voorwerpen en onderwerpen. Soms zijn de details van de onderwerpen of voorwerpen herkenbaar, maar meestal zijn deze tot heldere vormen geabstraheerd die met hun monumentale compositie een diepe rust uitstralen.
Because of a recent acquisition FTN books has a very special Hoogervorst cassette containing 27 etchings available. The cassette is handmade and painted by Hoogervorst and thanks to the cooperation of Koos Gijzen i am able to offer this scarce item for sale. Cassette Contains 27 etching in and edition of only 5 copies each. All are signed and numbered in pencil. For information visit www.ftn-books.com
Michael Ryan pursued a degree in Fine Art and Illustration at Columbia College of Chicago before settling in Brooklyn, New York where he currently creates and showcases his work.
Ryan’s creations are a fusion of mixed media on paper, drawing inspiration from early 20th century found photographs encompassing diverse subject matters. He employs the source image as a starting point, imbuing it with his complex process of augmentations and modifications, culminating in a work of intricacy, enigma, and allure.
The illustrious Anna Marra Contemporanea in Rome represents Michael Ryan. He has garnered acclaim with solo exhibitions hosted by Anna Marra Contemporanea, Wanwan Lei Projects in New York, Cathouse Proper in Brooklyn, NY, as well as a solo booth at Drawing Now Paris through collaboration with Anna Marra Contemporanea. Ryan has also been a part of group shows at esteemed galleries such as Van Doren Waxter in New York, Phoebus Gallery in Rotterdam, and Project Plus in London.
In 2013/14, Michael Ryan received a prestigious fellowship and residency at the Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation in Brooklyn, New York, further solidifying his reputation as a renowned artist.
Jan van der Pol epitomizes versatility as an artist. His repertoire includes paintings, drawings, lithographs, woodcuts, and etchings. Notable in his early work from the early 1980s is the focus on the upper portion of the canvas, led by high horizons and standing figures in the landscape, inspired by the photographs of E.J. Muybridge (English photographer, 1830-1904). After exploring cityscapes, particularly in 1984, the portrait motif emerged in his work, initially as busts but later also as full-fledged faces. Van der Pol’s art does not conform to any specific movement or framework, making it somewhat enigmatic to some. He combines images from his direct observation as well as from television or photographs, creating a unique fusion of visuals in each of his works. One can observe his fondness for structured horizontal and vertical lines (compartments, grids, boxes) in almost every piece, wherein various motifs such as landscapes, human figures, and portraits come to life. Alongside the prevalent use of black, grey, and white, color also holds a prominent position in his art. Complementary and aesthetically pleasing colors are juxtaposed intentionally. Van der Pol’s masterful play with colors transforms those that clash and appear unattractive into beautiful blends.
Jan van der Pol’s work is a cherished possession of several museums, municipalities, and art rental companies. He has been recognized with accolades such as the Van Bommel- Van Dam, Arti Medaille, and Basisstipendium Fonds. His art has been showcased in both solo and group exhibitions.
Rolf Engelen (b. 1964), from Nijmegen, underwent his education at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Den Bosch. A versatile visual artist, Engelen boasts not only a prolific exhibition record but also a plethora of community projects in public spaces under his belt. From 1995 to 2006, he served as the director of the Biannual Exhibition at Nagsael Museum, and in 1997, he founded the Second Chance Plant Company, dedicated to rescuing street plants. Currently residing and working in Rotterdam, Engelen is also a faculty member at the Willem de Kooning Academy.
www.ftn-books.com has the RAM invitation for his exhibition now available.
Paul Gustave Doré was born on January 6, 1832, in Strasbourg, France. He is considered one of the most important and prolific, as well as successful, book illustrators and mediators of late 19th-century European culture.
He was largely self-taught and even as a child, he showed his inclinations towards painting and drawing. In 1845, Doré arrived in Paris. In 1848, he became a contributor to the “Journal pour rire”.
With his rich and bizarre imagination, Gustave Doré created dreamlike scenes and illustrated works from world literature such as Dante’s “Inferno”, Cervantes’ “Don Quixote”, John Milton’s “Paradise Lost”, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”, works by Homer, Lord Byron, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and many others. The illustrations for Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy” in 1868 were the crowning achievement of Doré’s career.
His diverse body of work includes various genres, from comics to Bible illustrations. Doré even had an impact on Hollywood film production. Some images in famous films such as King Kong, some creatures from the Star Wars universe, and the Dead Tree in Sleepy Hollow bear resemblance to Doré’s illustrations. He was also a painter, draftsman, etcher, and later even a sculptor.
The artist possessed a distinctive ductus, employing the clair-obscur technique to contrast light and dark paintings. His pieces exuded depth and mystique, often featuring intricate details and realistic depictions of fantastical creatures and showmen. Minimalistic yet dramatic, his drawings evoked intense emotion and created powerful imagery. The works that shaped him were grotesque, macabre, and filled with fantasy and exaggeration. Gustave Doré’s illustrations documented the Crimean War, the Commune of Paris, and the proletariat of London, while his watercolor landscapes were also highly acclaimed. Two of Doré’s most successful oil paintings were “Paolo and Francesca da Rimini” (1863) and “The Neophyte” (1868). His illustrations of the English Bible (1866) and fairy tales by Charles Perrault were also widely renowned.
In 1867, Doré held a major exhibition of his work in London, leading to the establishment of the Doré Gallery on New Bond Street.
However, not all of Doré’s engravings were crafted by his own hand. With a team of 40 employees, he was able to meet the high demand for his illustrations and drawings. His original works were sold in galleries in Vienna, London, and other cities, as well as reproductions of his book illustrations, bringing great financial success and a carefree life for the artist.
Five years before his death in 1877, Doré turned to sculpting. Without any formal training, he produced ingenious marble and bronze sculptures that left their mark on the art scene of the 1870s. His final work was a monument for Alexandre Dumas, a testament to his passion and talent as a sculptor.
Dore never married, instead remaining in the comforting bosom of his mother in the bustling city of Paris. His work ethic was unmatched, fervently producing an abundance of drawings despite the nagging feeling of inadequacy and perennially feeling misunderstood. The true extent of his prolific output of drawings remains a mystery, for he toiled tirelessly from sun-up to sundown, creating thousands of masterpieces.
Sadly, on 23rd of January, 1883, the world lost the remarkable Gustave Doré to a sudden heart attack.
Wijnand Zijlmans possesses an unrelenting passion for natural stone, a material that harkens back to the distant past and has traversed a long journey before being breathed new dimensions by the sculpteur. With a mastery that is both transparent and meditative, Zijlmans reveals the massiveness and poetry of the stone, delving deep into its natural essence. He exposes both its internal and external facets, revealing its ever-shifting nature – at once hard and soft, dark and light, rough and gracefully polished, frayed and undulating, in a constant state of motion yet serene in its stillness. The stone’s surface reflects and absorbs, taking in and releasing, much like a poet who captures the essence of an entire life in just a few words. The sculptures are a tangible presence, open for those who allow themselves to be enchanted. They are anchors of tranquility in a hectic world, providing stillness and repose for those seeking solace. They invite contemplation and introspection, bestowing upon viewers a deeper understanding of themselves. There is an exchange between the artwork and the observer, something stirring within and between, a connection that Wijnand Zijlmans holds in high regard. To him, life is a towering edifice, a tumultuous and intricate structure constantly in search of balance.
His work is heavily influenced by the cultures of India and China. Through multiple Artist in Residence programs, he has visited these countries numerous times to continually experience the immense cultural and historical richness they possess. As he puts it, this has been a source of enrichment, which he then utilizes to create new works.
Haring (’52) returned to India in December 2023 for another project, building on the success of his previous endeavor, “The Golden Light,” Amsterdam – Varanasi (presented at WG Kunst 2021, exploring holy Hindu places).
During this project, he sought a connection between “Religion and Light” (hard-cover book in English and Dutch). In Haring’s viewpoint, there is a sense of “magic” when extraordinary natural phenomena serve as a catalyst for people to create new spiritual spaces. Thus, ritual sites are born.
Among indigenous groups in Tamil Nadu, there is a strong sense of connection to nature, giving rise to new expressions of these rituals.
In his latest project, “Light/Shadow, an Inspiration,” this fascination with the magical moment of experience is translated into new drawings, sculptures, wall objects, and photographs. It is a “total experience” and how these works relate to each other in the exhibition.
Artist/ Author: Oliver Boberg
Title : Memorial
Publisher: Oliver Boberg
Measurements: Frame measures 51 x 42 cm. original C print is 35 x 25 cm.
Condition: mint
signed by Oliver Boberg in pen and numbered 14/20 from an edition of 20
