Posted on Leave a comment

Lucien Clergue (1934-2014)

Schermafbeelding 2018-02-24 om 10.32.00

Here is a classic photographer who made his name with the Corrida, Picasso and the southern French nudes. There is a story on Clergue and myself. In the early Seventies there was a gallery in the Kazernestraat in Den Haag called Arta. In the gallery graphic art was sold to members at really affordable prices and i, as a young student, could afford me some graphic works by young artists who sold their works for as little as 20 guilders. A small sum to be paid for an original work of art by mainly dutch artist, but there were exceptions which were also on offer, some sets with multiple etchings and the occasional photograph…one of them an original photograph by Lucien Clergue. A nude in the sea, sand around her torso , no face…just a body….but such an impressive photograph i had to have it.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I took a loan with my parents and bought it and since , it has been in my collection. Later i learned the photograph came from one of the most famous series Lucien Clergue has ever made on THE SEA, shot in the Camargue in France in 1972 and resulting in one of the most iconic nude photo series any photographer has made . The photograph has now become for sale at FTN art.  This is a classic Clergue photograph in a small edition , stamped ,signed and numbered by Lucien Clergue and in immaculate condition.

For more publications on Lucien Clergue, please visit www.ftn-books.com

 

Posted on Leave a comment

Peter Geni (1908-1969)

Schermafbeelding 2017-11-24 om 14.11.37

A lesser known name, but when i noticed an item at auction at one of the last auction viewings i visited recently , it struck me how timeless and impressive his abstract works are. Peter Geni only had one major exhibition a the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

Schermafbeelding 2017-11-24 om 14.03.45

in 1970, right after he had died, but the small catalogue by Wim Crouwel shows the same qualities as the portfolio i encountered for aution. Unfortunately the price was too high to acquire it, but the SM catalogue is still available at www.ftn-books.com

geni peter.jpg

Posted on Leave a comment

Monet’s “abstract” paintings

Schermafbeelding 2018-01-12 om 15.08.11

Last week i mentioned an early Monet painting in the collection of the Haags Gemeentemuseum, the QUAI DU LOUVRE, but beside this painting they have a large sized painting BLAUWE REGEN which is almost like an abstract painting. Study it up close and there is nothing realistic in the subject nor in brushstrokes. It is pure and abstract, the same as the large Giverny paintings on show in the Orangerie ? PAris and the one in the Beyeler collection. They impress with their size , but for me there is more….they belnd with their surroundings ( Beyeler)

Schermafbeelding 2018-01-12 om 15.08.40

and they show their enormous abstract strength when seen each one after each other in the Orangerie. The Gemeentemuseum Den Haag is planning a large overview of paintings from Monet’s Giverny period at the end of 2019, but my guess is the “Blauwe Regen” will be one of the largest one on show, because the others are hard to put on transport and have them insured in an affordable way. So whenever you visit Paris or Basel, pay a visit to the Beyeler or Orangerie and be amazed by these extremely large Monet “abstract” paintings.

For more books on Monet please visit www.ftn-books.com

Posted on Leave a comment

Gianfredo Camesi (1940)

Schermafbeelding 2018-01-16 om 13.52.48

A Swiss born artist who had at the age of 30 a solo exhibition in 1970 in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Catalogue and poster were designed by Wim Crouwel.

Schermafbeelding 2018-01-16 om 13.54.43

Camesi painter/sculptor who operates as an avant garde artist pur sang deserved at that time a presentation in the Stedelijk Museum. His works intrigue and it is a pity that he has not become as famous as some of the others from his generation. Still the catalogue published with the exhibition in the Stedelijk Museum is one of the very best designed one from the early Seventies and the art by Camesi within it is still fresh and contemporary and of course available at www.ftn-books.com

Posted on Leave a comment

Joost Baljeu ( 1925-1991 )

Schermafbeelding 2018-01-15 om 12.20.14

Here is a short text that you can find on Wikipedia on Baljeu:

Joost Baljeu was born in Middelburg on 1 November 1925. During World War II (1939–45) he began painting in an expressionist, realistic and semi-abstract idiom. After Cubism he evolved to constructivism. He made his first reliefs in 1954-55. From 1957 to 1972 he was a professor at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague in the Hague.[1] The Canadian artist Eli Bornstein began to make three-dimensional “structurist” reliefs during a sabbatical in Italy and the Netherlands in 1957.[ He met and was influenced by artists such as Jean Gorin, Joost Baljeu, Anthony Hill, Kenneth Martin, Mary Martin, Victor Pasmore and Georges Vantongerloo.

I truly began to appreciate his works just some 10 years ago at the time i first visited a gallery on dutch Modern Art. The art dealer had at that time 2 large wall sculptures by Baljeu, which were not only very impressive, but unfortunately much too expensive to acquire.

Schermafbeelding 2018-01-15 om 12.14.28

Because i had seen these, i was spoiled and never wanted to focus at something much smaller. The admiration remained , but no additions were made to our collection of Modern Art. Still www.ftn-books.com has some excellent and highly collectable Baljeu publications for sale.

Posted on Leave a comment

Annely Juda Fine art in London 57 years of Modern art

Schermafbeelding 2018-01-15 om 12.01.32

Annely Juda CBE (born Anneliese Emily Brauer; September 23, 1914 – August 13, 2006) was a German art dealer known for founding the Annely Juda Fine Arts gallery in London. Notable artists represented have included Anthony Caro, David Hockney and Leon Kossoff. Juda introduced several Japanese artists to the London art market.

Since i have become an art book dealer who specializes in art and museum publications i frequently encountered publications by the Annely Juda gallery. When you look at their histoy of gallery presentations you encounter many of the great names in Modern Art. Klee, Bellmer, Christo, Honnegger and many others. As with other galleries that started in the sixties, they have build a loyal following of visitors, collectors and admirers. Not only because their gallery presentations are among the very best, but also because of their publications which are published to accompagny their exhibitions. These publications are a “niche” in the art book collectors world, but hard to find and certainly well worth searching for becauzse they are among the best art publications from the last few decades. www.ftn-books.co has some of them available.

Posted on Leave a comment

Benno Wissing (1923-2008)

Schermafbeelding 2018-01-11 om 14.42.10

In the dutch museum and art scene there are some classical partnerships regarding the design of museumpublications. There are Willem Sandberg and Wim Crouwel who bot worked in different decades for the Stedelijk Museum. There is again Wim Crouwel and Walter Nikkels who worked for the van Abbemuseum. There are Donald Janssen and Gracia Lebbink who had their designs published by the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag and there is Benno Wissing ( one of the founders of Total Designs) who worked almost exclusively for the Boymans Van Beuningen Museum Rotterdam during 3 decades.

Bernard (Benno) Wissing was a Dutch designer, painter, graphic artist and architect. He trained as a painter at the Art Academy in Rotterdam.

Schermafbeelding 2018-01-11 om 14.51.56

He began his career in 1949 as a designer for the Museum Boijmans in Rotterdam under VP Ebbinge Wubbe. He designed catalogs and posters and established exhibitions. He was one of the founders of Total Design which he worked from 1964 to 1972.

Benno Wissing is for me one of the greatest names in dutch design, but still stands in the shadow of Crouwel and Sandberg. Undeservedly, because his designs are true ” classics”. Just search for Wissing at www.ftn-books.com and find some excellent examples of his truly great designs.

Posted on Leave a comment

Gilbert & George …The Paintings, 1971

 

Schermafbeelding 2018-02-09 om 13.51.12

If you ask me…what is the rarest of all Stedelijk Museum catalogues?…the answer probably will be the 1971 THE PAINTINGS catalogue by Gilbert & George, which is published with no. 511. It is only an 8 page catalogue, measuring 8.3 x 5.9 inches, but this one is really a rare collectable artist book. I finally found one for my inventory and it is now for sale at www.ftn-books.com

 

 

Posted on Leave a comment

Dick Elffers (1910-1990)

Schermafbeelding 2018-01-03 om 17.10.05

Dick Elffers is one of the great dutch designers from last century. If you compare his works , they best can be compared with the designs by Willem Sandberg. Colorful designs and sometimes they look torn figures like the ones Sandberg uses. If ever there is a combination which is known outside the Netherlands it is the designs he made for the HOLLAND FESTIVAL.

These posters are highly recognizable as Elffers designs and are among the best that are published in the Netherlands in the last century. Perhaps not as well know as Sandberg and Crouwel, but certainly very important as a designer and quintessential for the ducth design mouvement that followed the 50’s from last century.

Of course www.ftn-books.com has some great Dick Elffers titles in its inventory

Posted on Leave a comment

Juul Kraijer ( 1970 )… depicted unease

Schermafbeelding 2017-11-03 om 14.00.17

It was about 20 year ago i first saw work by Juul Kraijer. Kraijer was presented with a small exhibition in the Gemeentemuseum and  as soon as i saw her works i was convinced of the quality of her art. Many years later, i Think it was the UNSEEN fair 2014 i encountered her photographs and had the same feeling about them.

They created an unease within me, but at the same time they were fascinating. I discovered for this blog that Kraijer has a very loyal and active following on Pinterest, but maybe the best way to discover her works is by visiting her site http://www.juulkraijer.com on which she gives a.o. an extensive text on her Hydra series of drawings. The HYDRA book is available at www.ftn-books.com

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA