Category: antiquarian books

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Guido Geelen (1961)

Schermafbeelding 2018-09-30 om 11.10.27

Another artist born in the early sixties who i admire is Guido Geelen. Geelen was first introduced to me when we sold the RABO limited art editions some 20 years ago. In the series of Rabo art made available at affordable prices were works a.o. by Dolron, Diederix and ….Guido Geelen. There was a series of dutch tulips cast in bronze of which every “tulip” was different because the cast was used only once. Making this a unique piece of art. I remember we had about 10 tulips lined up to make our final choice and this work still graces our home.

It is a timeless and very powerful work born from a technique whic is classic and was used multiple times after we had bought our Tulip. The Noordbarabants Museum has several “flowers” created in this way by Geelen, but for us our TULIP is still the most beautiful. www.ftn-books.com has some Geelen publications available.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

James Bishop (1927)

It was i think our third visit to the Josef Albers Museum in Bottrop when we encountered the works by James Bishop… and…they blew me away!

Large scaled paintings, extremely delicate colors combined in compositions which were part constructivist and familiar and other ways totally different because of the scale,  composition and impact.

I tried to find more on James Bishop , but beside the excellent gallery exhibitions at David Zwirner it is hard to find more on Bishop. Here is a short list of exhibitions in which he was presented.

  • 1963: Galerie Lucien Durand, Paris, France
  • 1966: Fischbach Gallery, New York, New York
  • 1993: Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Switzerland
  • 2008: Staatliche Graphische Sammlung, Munich, Germany
  • 2014: David Zwirner, New York, New York

Schermafbeelding 2018-09-28 om 11.51.16

This is an artist who grows on you. An artist who is one of a kind. For me he has the same qualities as many better known artists from his genaration, but is not the household name in modern art he should be. Try to see some of his works when you the chance , because this is an artist well worth discovering. www.ftn-books.com has a signed exhibition poster from this artist available.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Andre Derain (1880-1954)

Schermafbeelding 2018-07-04 om 10.34.19

Derain is specially known for his Fauve paintings. Friends with Matisse and de Vlaminck he stood at the craddle of the post impressionist mouvement and became aone of the most well known Fauvist painters. Lesser known is that Andre Derain was also a gifted sculptor. He used in most cases wooden logs as his raw material and inspired by african masks and ethnic art he transformed them into his own kind of fauvist sculptures. I remembered this because at one time we visited an impressive Derain sculptures exhibition in DE KUNSTHAL in Rotterdam where a Derain sculpture exhibition was held. The catalogue , which is a more than excellent publication, is still available at www.ftn-books.com

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Josef Albers and his Christmas card from 1952

Schermafbeelding 2018-09-25 om 17.23.28

On this Christmas eve some thoughts by Josef Albers :

Wenn ich male
sehe und denke ich zunächst – Farbe

Und zumeist Farbe als Bewegung

Nicht als Begleitung
von Form, die seitwärts bewegt,
nur seitwärts verbleibt

Sondern als Farbe in dauernder innerer Bewegung

Nicht nur in Interaktion und Interdependenz
mit Nachbarfarben,
verbunden wie unverbunden

Sondern in Aggression – zum wie vom Beschauer
in direktem frontalen Uns-Anschauen

Und näher betrachtet,
als ein Atem und Pulsieren – in der Farbe

When I paint
I think and see
first and most – color
but color as motion

Color not only accompanying
form of lateral extension
and after being moved
remaining arrested

But of perpetual inner movement
as aggression – to and from the spectator
besides interaction an interdependence
with shape and hue and light

Color in a direct and frontal focus
and when closely felt
as a breathing and pulsating
– from within

Josef Albers

The card below was the original Josef Albers Christmas card from 1952

Schermafbeelding 2018-09-25 om 17.27.03

Unfortunately this card is NOT available at www.ftn-books.com, but many other Albers item are available. a Merry Xmas from Wilfried van den Elshout and FTN books

 

 

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Piet Dirkx daily … Christmas edition

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

On the 1st of September 2016 i started the “Piet Dirkx daily” with the publishing of a Piet Dirkx cigarbox on each day since. There were over 850 cigarboxes that were once part of the installation Biotoop at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag. This publication of the collection of cigarboxes has come to an end. That does not mean that the Piet Dirkx daily will not continue. Yes…. it continues ….however the frequency will be different. Every week on Saturday or Sunday a new “classic” Piet Dirkx item will be published, but this time it will be mostly very colorful larger and extreme large items. Drawings, paintings and special publications all other parts of my/our collection will eventually be published.

So it is certainly still not the time to stop, but the name will change and be different of course. the “Piet Dirkx daily” will become the “Piet Dirkx weekly”. Starting this weekend when a new chapter in the Piet Dirkx publications will start. I did not plan it, but there was some real symbolism in this last Piet Dirkx cigarbox no. 855 published .

For all those who are not familiar with the dutch language…on the last box Piet stated …De trein staat stil and positief leven, which means the “train has stopped” and “live positively”. The last few words are maybe the most important to us all. Translated they mean:

Live positively

and on a personal note….Merry Xmas to you all.

The BIOTOOP / Biotope catalogue of the Piet Dirkx exhibition at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag is available at www.ftn-books.com

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Albert Marquet (1875-1947)

 

Schermafbeelding 2018-06-28 om 16.04.01

Albert Marquet is the next stage in Impressionism, which is of course Fauvisme of which mouvement he was one of the most important contributors. It took me a very long time to finally see  “live” a painting by Marquet. It was in the “Monet to Matisse” exhibition at the Haags Gemeentemuseum . The museum had the highlights from the Pushkin museum on loan for a short period. The exhibition drew record numbers of visitors ( almost 250.000 came to visit) and among the paintings on loan there were 2 Marquet paintings of which one was my personal favorite.

Schermafbeelding 2018-06-28 om 16.07.57

The painting shows the river Seine and in a fog the silhouette of the Notre Dame on Ile Saint Louis can be seen. It is a magical painting , just a little black, some grey lines   and some white  makes one of the best and most beautiful Fauve paintings i had ever seen. In the morning without the visitors crowding the rooms of the museum, you could visit the exhibition before its opening. It was quiet then and every time i saw the painting i was impressed. As a book dealer i learned that Marquet was not unknown in the dutch art and collectors scene, because several publications were published of which some are available at www.ftn-books.com

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Gerard Verdijk THE MOUNTAIN OF EINSTEIN

verdijk monografie

Finally, after a period of over 7 years , the long awaited publication on Gerard Verdijk and his art was presented last month in Amsterdam.  After hard work and contributions by many a  true MAGNUS OPUS has been published on the art and life of Gerard Verdijk. To give an impression….. it is thick and heavy, a publication with approximately 1000 photographs on Verdijk and his works. 382 pages, size is 12 x 12 inches and the weight…. a heavy 3.1 kg.

But what is more important, this publication has hardly any faults and is an absolute must for the art lover and collector. Edition size is only 700 copies of this 1st and only printing. The MOUNTAIN OF EINSTEIN is a book to hold, collect and cherish and can be ordered as long as it is available for only euro 99,00 ( excl. postage) at :

www.ftn-books.com or you can place your order with Josephine Sloet at : josephinesloet@gmail.com.

btw. More news on Josephine Sloet and her art in the next couple of days.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Pierre Buraglio (1939)

Schermafbeelding 2018-09-25 om 16.26.13.png

Never heard of him before until i found a beautiful and impressive catalogue on this painter some years ago. Put together is a jar the works by Picasso, Tremois and Buffet. Hussle and the result is a work by Pierre Buraglio. THis look simple , but study more closely and you will see that his art is a very personal kind of art with some subtle influences by the mentioned artists. Outside France this artist is hardly known and i do not know of any exhibitions held in the Netherlands and when you look at the very long Wikipedia lists of exhibitions held in Museums and at art galleries you will only see venues in France where exhibitions were held. Still it is a very good artist of whom some publications are available at www.ftn-books.com

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Yves Tanguy (1900-1955)

Schermafbeelding 2018-09-19 om 11.35.00

Look at the portrait and you think Tanguy is a punk from the Seventies, but he is far from ….

He is rooted in the surreal mouvement of the mid Twenties from last century and met with artists like Dali, Miro and de Chirico and found himself in the middle of a surrealistic art mouvement. His paintings are typical for surrealism, but because of the landscape qualities  and the typical Tanguy surreal elements they more look like abstract forms in a landscape than other typical surreal paintings that always have a realistic element in them.

Schermafbeelding 2018-09-19 om 11.39.54

For me Tanguy’s art goes beyond surrealism and is more an abstract kind of art than surreal. In the Netherlands there was a painter who had the same qualities. Pieter Ouborg started as a surreal painter but later he developed an art language of his own. Turning surreal elements into abstract elements. This is the same what i think Tanguy does. Turning forms in to abstract elements and composing them in the landscape of the painting.  www.ftn-books.com has Tanguy titles available

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Jean Paul Riopelle (1923-2002)

Schermafbeelding 2018-09-19 om 11.21.42

Two names spring to mind when you look at the works by Jean Paul Riopelle  ( Canada , 1923) and read about his life. He lived near Giverny ( the place where Monet had his studio and gardens) and he used a technique much the same as Jackson Pollock did. Dripping paint on a horizontal canvas. The result ….. colorful and abstract compositions which have the colors of a Monet painting and the abstract construction of a Pollock one.

riopelle 3 a

Riopelle’s style in the 1940s changed quickly from Surrealism to Lyrical Abstraction (related to abstract expressionism), in which he used myriad tumultuous cubes and triangles of multicolored elements, facetted with a palette knife, spatula, or trowel, on often large canvases to create powerful atmospheres.

The presence of long filaments of paint in his painting from 1948 through the early 1950s has often been seen as resulting from a dripping technique like that of Jackson Pollock. Rather, the creation of such effects came from the act of throwing, with a palette knife or brush, large quantities of paint onto the stretched canvas (positioned vertically).

For me Riopelle is a fascinating artist and because of the beautiful publications Maeght made with this artist it is not entirely out of reach financially. A very nice Riopelle publications can be obtained for less than euro 100,– at www.ftn-books.com

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA