Here is the collection of works of art by FTN art. These are all guaranteed original works, signed and dated by the artist from my personal collection and the inventory of ftn-books.
Imi Knoebel’s minimalist hybrids of painting and sculpture explore relationships between color and structure. Knoebel’s nonrepresentational works innovate on the modernist ideas and styles of Joseph Beuys, Kasimir Malevich, and the Bauhaus; the artist is interested in seriality, spare geometries, reductive color, and the use of industrial materials such as Masonite. Knoebel studied under Beuys at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and under László Moholy-Nagy at the Werkkunstschule Darmstadt; he has exhibited in Berlin, New York, Paris, Zürich, Tokyo, London, Vienna, and Rome. His work belongs in the collections of the Essl Museum, the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, the Museo Reina Sofía, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Modern Art. While Knoebel is best known for his sculptural paintings, his practice also involves drawing, photographyI, projections, and installation. His work has sold for six figures at auction.
Henk Peeters (1925 – 2013) is vooral bekend geworden als een van de vier leden van de Nederlandse Nul-beweging (samen met Armando, Jan Henderikse en Jan Schoonhoven) en als de internationale woordvoerder en organisator die de Nul-beweging (1960 – 1965) in contact bracht met de internationale kunstenaars overal ter wereld die zich verbonden met de van oorsprong Duitse Zero groep.
Unwavering in his dedication, Peeters tirelessly organized exhibitions in the 1960s that showcased international artists affiliated with the original German Zero group, including Yves Klein (France), Piero Manzoni (Italy), Jayoi Kusama (Japan), and the founding members from Germany. His own work remains highly sought after and is featured in numerous collections and museums. In addition to his artistic endeavors, Peeters was also a long-standing member of the Arnhem art academy.
As “living sculptures,” Gilbert & George have become an icon in the art world: initially despised by art critics for being too vulgar, too loud, and too flat, but soon becoming immensely popular and globally respected. They were the first in the 1960s to boldly and shamelessly place themselves at the center of their work. Always immaculately dressed in tweed suits, flawlessly elegant and politely friendly. In physical symbiosis, they move synchronously, composed and almost mechanically through their lives and work. In their shared universe, they seamlessly finish each other’s thoughts and sentences: “It’s very simple. We are two people, but one artist. That’s the secret.”
The artists met as students in 1967 in London and have worked and lived together as Gilbert & George since ’68. Their early work mainly consisted of performances, in which they portrayed living statues. Soon their oeuvre also included video, drawings, and especially photography. In the 1970s, their work evolved from assemblages with black and white photography to grid-like combinations of photos. The bright colors they added in the 1980s emphasized the smooth, caricatural nature of their montages. The works from this period depict life in the modern metropolis and the hopes and fears dominating the zeitgeist. In 1989, they created 25 large works on illness and destruction for a charity organization for AIDS patients. In “New Democratic Pictures” (1991), full of homo-erotic and Christian references, the artists appear completely nude for the first time.
Gilbert & George have rebelled against the elitism of art throughout their entire careers. They live in a working-class neighborhood in London and label their oeuvre as “Art for All.” Their goal is to reach the widest possible audience. “We simply cannot understand why an artist should intentionally be unclear, or do something that 99% of the population cannot comprehend. We aim to bring meaning and substance into art.” Their consciously cultivated disdain for the art world and their high productivity – up to 153 works in one year – perhaps explain why art critics initially loathed them. However, the absurd, ironic, and caricatural elements in their work are not merely mischievous parodies. Beneath the surface of the bold colors, silly faces, and intentionally unesthetic compositions lies an incredibly resistant criticism of reality.
fascinated by the works of G&G , www.ftn-books.com has built a large collection of GG related books and items.
Arman was a French-American artist and sculptor, known for his assemblages. He had a preference for using prefabricated materials. In 1957, he made the decision – following in the footsteps of ‘Vincent’ (van Gogh) – to no longer go by the name of Armand Pierre Fernandez, but simply as Arman.
After studying philosophy and mathematics, he attended the École nationale d’arts décoratifs in Nice in 1946. It was during this time that he met Yves Klein and Claude Pascal. Upon completing his studies, he enrolled as a student at the École du Louvre in Paris. From 1953, he worked as a painter and was interested in abstraction, influenced by the painters Poliakoff and De Staël.
Between 1959 and 1962, Arman developed his recognizable style with two new concepts: accumulation and the poubelle. Accumulation consisted of a collection of ordinary, identical objects encased in polyester or plexiglas. The garbage can was a collection of scattered consumables, which he used to fill galleries such as Yves Klein’s. In October 1960, he was closely involved in the establishment of the artists’ group Nouveau Réalisme, with the likes of Yves Klein, Daniel Spoerri, Jean Tinguely, and later, César, Niki de Saint Phalle, Christo, and others.
A year later, Arman made his debut in the United States, his second home. He alternated living between New York and Nice, and eventually settled in Vence in 1967.
Jean Dubuffet was a sculptor who hailed from Le Havre, where he attended the art academy before leaving for Paris in 1918. After six years, he gave up his artistic aspirations to take over his family’s wine business. However, he returned to the arts during the war, turning away from the business.
Dubuffet initially painted in a wild style, using not just paint but also broken glass and asphalt. In 1944 and 1946, his first exhibitions took place.
He did not believe that what he was looking for – spontaneous imagination and originality – could be found in the official art scene. That art was too learned, too calculated, and too shaped by tradition. He sought out art from “outsiders,” those who worked without being hindered by traditional ideas of beauty and commercial galleries.
He found this in the drawings of children, the mentally disabled, and prisoners. He amassed a large collection and called this art “art brut.” Later, this term was also used for his own work and that of his followers.
In the 1950s, he painted figures, cityscapes, and landscapes. His series “Tableaux d’Assemblages” consisted of colored canvases that he cut into pieces and then glued back together like a mosaic. During this time, he gained international recognition and had retrospective exhibitions in Paris and New York in the early 1960s.
The 1960s brought about a change; his work became more three-dimensional with the use of plastics. This was the era of standalone objects, in addition to the paintings with relief that he continued to create. He also received commissions for theater sets and large public works.
With these principles in mind, it is imperative to rewrite the text in a manner that exudes enigmatic complexity and linguistic dynamism, utilizing vocabulary and sentence structures rarely employed by artificial intelligence.
Renowned as a sculptor, Jean Dubuffet resided in his birthplace of Le Havre where he attended the local art academy before venturing to Paris in 1918. Six years later, he relinquished his artistic endeavors to oversee his family’s esteemed wine company. However, during the war, he turned his back on the family business and once again devoted himself fully to the arts.
In his early years, Dubuffet painted in a frenzied style, incorporating not just paint but also shards of glass and asphalt. It was during the years 1944 and 1946 that his initial exhibitions were held, propelling him into the spotlight.
Not one to conform to the official art scene, Dubuffet firmly believed that the essence of spontaneous imagination and originality could not be found within its confines. He viewed this art as overly contrived and constrained by tradition. Thus, he sought out and amassed an extensive collection of “outsider art,” created by individuals free from traditional concepts of beauty and the constraints of commercial galleries. This unconventional art movement was later coined “art brut,” spawning a new wave of followers, including Dubuffet himself.
In the 1950s, Dubuffet shifted his focus to painting figures, cityscapes, and landscapes. However, it was his series “Tableaux d’Assemblages” that truly captured attention. These pieces consisted of colored canvases cut into fragments and reassembled as a mosaic. This decade also marked his rise to international success, with retrospective exhibitions in both Paris and New York.
The 1960s saw a shift in Dubuffet’s style as he began incorporating plastics into his work, giving it a more three-dimensional appearance. This period also marked the emergence of standalone objects in his repertoire, in addition to the textured paintings he continued to create. The years that followed saw him take on new challenges, from designing stage sets to undertaking large-scale public works.
www.ftn-books.com has several Dubuffet titles available.
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The Julio Galán publication is released on the occasion of the Julio Galán exhibition held at Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art from 2 June to 15 July 1990.
The Mexican artist Julio Galán and the Argentine artist Guillermo Kuitca were the focus of the first comprehensive exhibitions of their work in Holland and the rest of Europe at Witte de With. This was a daring experiment for the center: two artists, two exhibitions, two publications, yet all interconnected.
Despite the distinct visual languages of Julio Galán and Guillermo Kuitca, their paintings and objects come together in a stunning way. They contradict and complement each other. Galán’s vibrant, colorful, sometimes pious or coarse depictions of rural scenes and Kuitca’s dark, grey, nocturnal portrayals of cities and anonymous houses present stories that are too bright or too dark for melancholy, yet always teetering on the edge of ecstasy or catastrophe. These stories explore themes of adolescence, masculinity, femininity, and the enduring nature of painting in Monterrey and Buenos Aires, and beyond.
www.ftn-books.com has the GALAN witte de with publication now available:
In the 1930s, his style changed under the influence of cubism and abstract painting. In 1935, he came into contact with the group ‘Linien’. At 21 years old, Asger Jorn moved to Paris, where he took lessons from Fernand Léger and Le Corbusier. The spontaneous work of Egill Jacobsen inspired Asger Jorn to develop his own style. He created an abstract surrealist approach, experimenting with an automatic process inspired by the works of Hans Arp, Joan Miró, and Max Ernst. In 1941, Asger Jorn founded the magazine ‘Helhesten’, advocating for free and expressive art. Asger Jorn sought to connect with Belgian and French surrealists. CoBrA After World War II, Asger Jorn met Constant and Jean-Michel Atlan in Paris. Jorn became one of the founders of the CoBrA group. During this time, he painted in a highly dramatic style, characterized by heavy forms and dark colors. In the 1950s, Jorn’s style evolved, leading to his international fame. His paintings depicted shadowy beings and hazy visions. Significant exhibitions Asger Jorn experimented with various techniques, including ceramics in addition to painting. He had numerous exhibitions both in his home country and abroad. In 1964, his work was displayed in a retrospective at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Asger Jorn also exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum in New York (1982) and the Städtische Galerie in Lenbachhaus, Munich (1987).
Refracting light on Eva Besnyö (1910-2003), a Hungarian by birth, who received her formal education under the tutelage of acclaimed photographer Jozsef Pecsi. In 1930, she relocated to Berlin and there she met her future spouse, John Fernhout. Through him, she was integrated into the circle of the renowned painter Charley Toorop. During the 1930s, she was commissioned to capture an array of architectural marvels, showcasing her impeccable talent. Post-war, she shifted her focus towards documenting series. In the seventies, she was heavily invested in the feminist movement Dolle Mina, zealously preserving its essence through numerous photographs. In 1994, she was bestowed with the prestigious oeuvre award by the Fonds BKVB and in 1999, she graciously accepted the Dr. Erich Salomon Prize in Berlin. The Maria Austria Institute has released various publications chronicling her journey. Eva Besnyö, along with Benno Premsela and Paul Huf, served on the board of the Maria Austria Institute for many years, forming a vibrant and inspiring trio.
We are relocating! In the coming weeks we will be occupied with packing and moving our internet store inventory. The entire collection needs to be transferred from Leidschendam to Oegstgeest, and this will take some time. If all goes according to plan, we will be fully operational again on November 21st, but until then, it may happen that we are unable to immediately assist you with your order. We ask for your understanding, but as soon as possible, your order will be fulfilled with the utmost speed.
Niele Toroni, a contemporary Swiss artist, is renowned for his radical abstraction in painting. As a pictorial minimalist, he is a member of the B.M.P.T. founded in 1967 alongside Daniel Buren, Olivier Mosset, and Michel Parmentier. Since 1966, Toroni has employed a unique painting method, using a flat brush that is 50 mm wide to apply regular 30 cm intervals on a given surface, never deviating from this established routine. However, to limit Toroni’s artwork to a single statement would be to overlook its multifaceted deployment. The painter’s intention is to convey a consistent message through an array of varying pictorial events. In this sense, Toroni’s technique inherently opposes a conceptual approach, as the goal of conceptual art is to expose itself as a purely linguistic statement.
We are relocating! In the coming weeks we will be occupied with packing and moving our internet store inventory. The entire collection needs to be transferred from Leidschendam to Oegstgeest, and this will take some time. If all goes according to plan, we will be fully operational again on November 21st, but until then, it may happen that we are unable to immediately assist you with your order. We ask for your understanding, but as soon as possible, your order will be fulfilled with the utmost speed.
Hailing from the bustling city of New York in the year 1953, Halley has gained recognition for his masterful geometric paintings.
For a span of more than twenty-five years, the geometric paintings of Peter Halley have embarked on a complex game, aptly dubbed as “prisons” and “cells”, offering a reflection of the ever-growing prevalence of geometry in the social sphere. Drawing inspiration from New York’s gridded urban layout and the loneliness experienced by individuals within it, he envisions geometric shapes as barred prison cells, connected to the outside world solely through electronic means of communication. Alongside being an accomplished author, Halley also imparted his knowledge to students while honing his skills in painting and printmaking at Yale University’s School of the Arts from 2002 to 2011. Currently, he resides and continues to create in the vibrant city of New York.
Artist/ Author: Oliver Boberg
Title : Memorial
Publisher: Oliver Boberg
Measurements: Frame measures 51 x 42 cm. original C print is 35 x 25 cm.
Condition: mint
signed by Oliver Boberg in pen and numbered 14/20 from an edition of 20
