Piet Dirkx cigarbox 734
Alik Cavaliere (1926-1998)
Day 2 of the forgotten artists blog is this one on Alik Cavaliere. Without knowing it, i first encountered his works because of an exhibition which was organized by the Haags Gemeentemuseum in 1967 of which some catalogues were left. The stack of catalogues was removed and destroyed from our inventory, because no buyers could be found for these “old” catalogues. Decades later, i was lucky to find the obscure special edition of this catalogue which had a special , signed and dated print included. ( the catalogue is for sale at www.ftn-books.com) and it struck me that his art is so playful and even a little avant-garde and can be appreciated by practically all interested.
The etching is of an excellent playful quality and shows his strength as an artist. His bronzes…. just compare them to Guido Geelen’s tulip and you see that 40 years before Geelen , Cavaliere made his bronzes of flowers too and they are far less expensive than the ones by Geelen which are now sought after by collectors worldwide.
cavaliere is an artist who had its fame in the Fifties and Sixties ut was forgotten after that. He still had in his years of fame worldwide exhibitions in Italy, Hungary and the US and perhaps it is time now to appreciate his art once again and show it to a new public. A younger public who discover Alik Cavaliere.
Piet Dirkx daily …733
Piet Dirkx cigarbox 733
the galerie Arnaud and Ado ( the artist)
One of the most intriguing books in my collection of www.ftn-books.com is this precious book Dai DAi Submarine by Ado. I found it years ago and it is for some inexplicable reason still for sale. The design is striking. the contents is typical Pop Art and the design /lay out are one of a kind . A book that should find a nice spot in a Sixties design collection. I have only one available and the condition is excellent. Book published by Galerie Arnaud in 1969 and believed to have an edition of less than 500.
Piet Dirkx daily …732
Piet Dirkx cigarbox 732
Adriaan Venema (1941-1993)
A journalist who searched for the controversy. Specially the subject of right and wrong during the WWII period was a reoccurring subject in his articles and letters to other journalists and writers. He ended his life by suicide on the age of 52 in the presence of his wife who he had married some weeks before. But this was not only a bitter man. Art in general was one of the highlights in his life and because of the love of it he wrote some excellent books on the artists he admired or had known. He wrote books on Dutch painters in Paris, de Bergense school and some monographic books of which some are available at www.ftn-books.com
Piet Dirkx daily …731
Piet Dirkx cigarbox 731
A nice special comparison between Vincent van Gogh and Arman
At the gallery Marianne & Pierre Nahon, Arman presented his series that he made while inspired by one of the most famous Vincent van Gogh paintings LA NUIT ETOILEE. A painting that inspired other artists too.
For instance Don McLean made his Starry Starry Night as . a tribute to this painting and the life of Vincent van Gogh.
But Arman took his inspiration not from the music but from the composition, colors and the swirl of the paint. The series is fantastic and shows the strength of Arman. He mixes his personal style with that of van Gogh. The catalogue from 1994 is now available at www.ftn-books.com together with many other Arman publications.
Piet Dirkx daily …730
Piet Dirkx cigarbox 730
Douwe Jan Bakker (1943-1997)
( no portrait found)
The first time i heard of Douwe Jan Bakker was the time Hans Locher mentioned Bakker to have an exhibition in the Gemeentemuseum. I did not know the artist at that time but soon would learn that he was and is one of the leading conceptual artists. The iedea behind the work is more important than the execution of it. Because another exhibition was cancelled. The Gemeentemuseum organized, before their renovation closure, the Retrospektive exhibition which was long time due. Douwe Jan Bakker did not have many of these exhibitions but this one was a necessary one and fortunately just in time because soon after, Douwe Jan Bakker died ( 1997). There are not many publications on Douwe Jan Bakker published, but www.ftn-books.com has two important ones for sale. The first is from the Gemeentemuseum (1996) and the second one from the Centraal Museum (1977). Artistically and from a art historian point of view important publications.
