Throughout his active career, he served as a pivotal muse for a diverse range of visual artists such as Mathieu Knippenbergh and Harr Scheffer, as well as writer and poet Huub Beurskens, and filmmaker Ben Verbong.
The artistic and cultural oeuvre of Ferd Verstraelen (1939-1994) comprises of many facets. With his great talent for theater and his unique charisma, he was cast as Jesus Christ in the Tegelen Passion Plays not once, but twice, receiving tremendous praise both regionally and nationally for his performance. Additionally, Ferd worked as an autonomous artist and emerged as an innovative printmaker. He possessed a free spirit, dedicating himself wholeheartedly and with great concentration to his works. Unfortunately, due to his non-conformist and tragic life, many of his interesting artworks have been lost.
The exhibition “In the Light” also showcases juvenilia, “documents humains” (including drawings from diaries, personal photographs, poems, and clippings), as well as unique and moving images from archives. Alongside this, a new audio-visual documentary, directed by Helmie Brugman, will be shown. It sheds light on the life and work of Verstraelen and the search for his lost artworks. The life of the charismatic and photogenic Ferd Verstraelen can be compared to a diamond in many ways. Every time the reader looks, reads, or listens, they will discover new facets.
www.ftn-books.com has the Bommel van Dam book for his exhibition now available.
