Following his alternative military service at the State Psychiatric Institution in Eindhoven, Sanders pursued evening education at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague from 1953 to 1958. He specialized in the direction of ‘illustrative’ and graduated with distinction. Until 1959, Sanders resided and worked in The Hague, and in the same year, he also attended the painting class of Kees Bol in Waddinxveen. His repertoire includes silkscreen prints, paintings, drawings, linocuts, and etchings, and until 1964, he worked as a display artist for the department store company Vroom and Dreesmann.
In 1965, he moved to the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands to the town of Stiphout. From 1964 to 1973, Sanders was a drawing teacher at the Academy of Industrial Design in Eindhoven, and from 1980 to 1986, he taught painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague. From 1990 onwards, Sanders lived in different places, including Exloërmond (1990-1992), Montignac-sur-Vézère (1992-1995), Bellingwolde (1995-2001), Bad Nieuweschans (2001-2005), and finally, Oude Pekela (2005-2010).
During his alternative military service, Sanders met fellow conscientious objector Frank Letterie in 1950, whom he encouraged to take up drawing. In 2003, Sanders and Letterie, who had become a sculptor, exhibited their works together at De Buitenplaats in Eelde.
Theater ‘t Speelhuis
In October 2007, an exhibition of Sanders’ work was opened in the Speelhuis in Helmond. In honor of this event, the booklet “Har Sanders en Helmond” was released. In the theater hall of the Speelhuis, there was a tent-like painting covering the wall and ceiling, giving the illusion of being inside a tent. Sanders created this monumental work in 1972 in collaboration with architect Piet Blom. Unfortunately, the artwork was destroyed in a fire on December 29, 2011, at Theater ‘t Speelhuis in Helmond.
www.ftn-books.com has several Sanders titles available.
