Cesar Domela (15 January 1900 – 30 December 1992) was a Dutch artist known for his sculpture, painting, photography, and typography, and for his involvement in the De Stijl movement. Born in Amsterdam as César Domela Nieuwenhuis, his father was a former Lutheran pastor and prominent anarcho-socialist in the Dutch government. Despite lacking formal training, Domela lived in Ascona, Switzerland from 1919-1923, where he developed his Constructivist style heavily influenced by Cubism. Initially focusing on landscapes and still life, his work evolved to incorporate geometric forms. In 1923, he moved to Berlin where he formed relationships with members of the influential November Group. That same year, he created his first nonrepresentational painting, consisting of vertical and horizontal lines and planes. In 1924, his first solo exhibition was held at the Galeria d’Audretsch. Domela became the youngest member of De Stijl in 1925, collaborating with renowned artists Theo van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian.
During this time, he explored various mediums and his work often combined three-dimensional reliefs with Plexiglas, metal, photomontages, and cutouts from advertisements. While he established a silkscreen process studio in 1934, relief remained his preferred medium and he elevated it to a high art form. Domela’s work was featured in the Museum of Modern Art’s 1936 exhibition “Cubism and Abstract Art” in New York City. In addition to his artistic pursuits, he also ventured into typography and was commissioned for advertisements in Germany. With the rise of Hitler in 1933, Domela fled Berlin and resettled in Paris, where he lived until his death in 1992. He was forced to destroy a large portion of his library, which contained books written by anarchists, many of which he had designed. French director Alain Resnais created a film about Domela in 1947.
www.ftn-books.com has several Domela items available including a signed print.
