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Leon Adriaans (1944-2004)

Leon A. Adriaans was a Dutch painter widely known as the “last true Brabander” and the “inventor of Brabant art”, according to Maarten Beks (1994). Born in Helmond in 1944, he was the fifth child of Leo and Alberta Adriaans. Leo’s father was a factory manager in a textile mill. Unfortunately, their family had to endure the loss of their third child, Winus in September 1946. Years later, Leo decided to change his name to Leowinus, which he later shortened to Leon.

During his time in primary school, one of his teachers, Harry Crijns, recognized his talent for drawing. Additionally, stonecutter André Driessen also encouraged Leon Adriaans to become an artist. However, his parents sent him to a secondary school, after which he applied to attend the art academy in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. He was accepted on the condition that he would get his secondary school diploma while attending evening classes. Leon Adriaans studied there from 1963-1967, but was ultimately disappointed with the prevailing art theories at that time.

Adriaans’ artistic growth was largely influenced by the “zware Van Nelle club,” which consisted of his colleagues from his student days, including Henk van der Rijdt, John van der Rijdt, Richard Menken, and Frans Schouten. Henk van der Rijdt also introduced the group to Jacques van der Heyden, who was known as JCJvanderheyden. The group frequently experimented with various mediums of art, such as video, film, and sound. Adriaans interpreted Arte Povera within the context of the “zware Van Nelle club,” working primarily with inexpensive and easily obtainable materials to create a new kind of visual language.

From 1970 onwards, Adriaans used animal feed bags as his painting canvas. In the mid-70s, Adriaans rented out a stable and field in the Sterrenbos, just south of Den Bosch. This allowed him to pursue his love for animals. Aside from being an artist, he also managed to live as a farmer. In 1975, Adriaans had his first exhibition at the Utrecht cultural center ‘t Hoogt. He described his work in the following words: “My very first exhibition has begun. It is centered around black, white, suffering, women, my work, animals, and the unknown” (Van den Hoven, 2008, 64).

www.ftn-books.com has the important GESMOLTEN RIJP IN DOOLBROEK book now available.

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Jan Knap (1949)

Jan Knapp was born in Chrdimi, Czech Republic in 1949. From 1970 to 1972 he studied architecture in Prague and painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Dusseldorf. In the 70’s he immigrated to the United States (he stayed from 1972 until 1982, living mainly in New York). At the end of the 1970s he founded the “Normalgruppe” together with Milan Kunc and Peter Angermann. The group is a rare group that brings together three resident artists, Kunc from Cologne, Angermann from Nuremberg and finally, at least formally, Chrudimi and Knap from New York. Knap’s pilgrimage continued into his 1980s. First he studied theology in Rome from 1982 to 1984, then from 1984 to 1989 he lived and worked in Cologne, and finally from 1989 to 1992 he lived and worked in Modena. Currently he lives and works in Cologne, Modena and the Czech Republic.

www.ftn-books.com currently has the Centraal Museum catalog on Knap available.

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John Latham (1921-2006)

Throughout his extensive career, which spanned over five decades, Latham established himself as a highly influential and distinct figure within the realm of contemporary art. Despite not aligning with any particular artistic movement, his contributions to various mediums such as painting, assemblage, performance, book art, conceptual art, and film were of great significance. At the core of his diverse artistic endeavors was a revolutionary worldview that challenged conventional systems of thought and showcased a visionary perspective.

Latham perceived the conflicts and struggles that plagued humanity as a result of ideological disparities. He believed that these differences stemmed from the absence of a singular theory that could comprehensively explain the universe and humankind’s place within it. His evolved theoretical framework aimed to provide a unified comprehension of existence.

By intertwining artistic, philosophical, and scientific concepts, Latham’s theory of “event structure” directly challenged the perspectives of scientists and cosmologists. According to this theory, the explanation for everything that exists lies not in the form of atomic particles and waves but in the recurring and finite duration of time-based “events.” The fundamental unit of existence, in this theory, is the “least event” – the briefest deviation from a state of nothingness. These recurring events establish patterns and serve as the foundation for reality’s structures. As events persist for longer durations, they give rise to more intricate phenomena, including objects, mental images, and ultimately, the entire cosmos.

Latham’s artwork serves as a tangible manifestation of these ideas. Dating back to 1954, his utilization of spray paint exemplifies the process of “coming into being.” This concept is visually represented through the accumulation of tiny paint droplets, symbolizing the transition from nothingness (portrayed by the blank canvas) to the emergence of form (highlighted by the burst of spray). These underlying notions can be observed in his earliest painting on display, “Man Caught up with a Yellow Object” (1954), as well as in later works such as the “One Second Drawing” (1972).

Since 1958, books have taken on a central role in Latham’s artistic expression—they are frequently burned, painted, and fragmented. Books serve as a powerful symbol of human thought and intellectual exploration. The way they emerge from many of his canvases conveys the notion of a human presence coming into existence. However, books also signify diverse systems of belief. A significant portion of Latham’s later works incorporate books alongside glass, a fragile material prone to shattering. Through this juxtaposition, Latham delivers a clear message: the imperative need for a unified worldview in an increasingly divided world.

www.ftn-books.com has the 1991 Stuttgart catalog available.

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Pierre Lahut (1931-2013)

The work of Pierre Lahaut (1931-2013) remains a valuable witness to the development of the Belgian art movement in the second half of the 20th century. It fits several successive trends: Symbolism, Minimalism, New Subjectivity, Geometry. Two-time winner of the Young Belgian Painting Award, Pierre Lahaut is a member of the group ‘Jeunes Figuratifs belges’ and is also known as co-founder of the group ‘Ax 59’. The artist was also a recognized and enthusiastic teacher in academia. He taught at Tell Kameren (ENSAV) for 17 years, where he founded the Drawing and Stimulation Graphics Atelier. The exhibition at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (RMFAB) includes some 40 works that symbolize the 1960s, a turning point for Rao. This selection marks Pierre Laot’s transition to the non-figurative and lyrical according to geometric predominance. In 1967 the same paintings and watercolors were exhibited at the Fine Arts Centre. Fifty years later, RMFAB invites you to rediscover these works, enhanced by a new technological infusion of digital experiences. To enhance this experience, the Multimedia Cylinder offers a complete overview of the life and work of Pierre Rao’s life and work through additional content such as touchscreens, videos, photographs, archives, high-definition projections… This project is in line with the desire of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium to continuously innovate the public experience of museums. A multimedia cylinder is placed in the center of the room for at least three years. In this way, newly selected works from the collection of modern and contemporary art are digitally complemented and refined.

www.ftn-books.com has the Orion gallery catalog from 2002 now available.

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Hans Biezen (1947)

A new era for Dutch photography begins in the early 1970s. It is no longer just the content of the photo that the photographer focuses on. It goes beyond that. Space, light, and timing are played with. Constantly searching for hidden elements, creating light and shadows, abstractions, and a certain surrealistic feeling. All of this suggests a world beyond the frame of the photo. This work pays tribute to the great masters who were able to portray space, light, and the depth of bright tones in their paintings in a mysterious way (source: Lorenzo Merlo, Contemporary photography in the Netherlands 1980).

During the same period, Rudi Fuchs is appointed as the director of the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven. Thanks to him and the aforementioned developments, artists from Eindhoven are once again in the spotlight. Fuchs actively participates in conversations in the ateliers in Eindhoven, thus getting to know the attitudes and positions that will partly determine the policy of the Van Abbemuseum. Hans Biezen, René Daniëls, Piet Dirkx, and Stijn Peeters are some of the well-known Brabant artists of that time. Inspiring projects such as the artists’ initiative De Fabriek arise in the vicinity of the Van Abbemuseum, something that would still be unthinkable in the Randstad (source: Michiel Morel, under the smoke of Van Abbe 2011).



Hans Biezen finds himself at the heart of the art world in Eindhoven during these developments. As a sculptor by training, Biezen is self-taught in the field of photography. This is not a coincidence, as he wants to photograph as honestly and unbiasedly as possible. Photography is more than sculpting to him; it is a means to interpret reality in his own way and with feeling. Initially, Biezen focuses his photography on situations that allow him to take beautiful and powerful photos. But at some point, he begins to see this as a limitation of his photographic possibilities. Therefore, Biezen simplifies his photography into mainly a documentary form.

www.ftn-books.com has now one of the very first Biezen publications he made for the van Abbemuseum available.

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Fon Klement(1930-2000)

This blog is meant to be a long overdue tribute to one of the artists I have admired in the first decade I was collecting art. I purchases my First KLEMENT at Arta in the early 70’s and realized when I visit my doctor, who has several Klements’ on the wall) that his art Is still appealing to me and has survived for 5 decades now.

Fon Klement’s journey as an artist began as a self-taught individual. After gaining recognition as a figurative painter and woodcutter, he ventured into the world of multicolored graphic sheets in 1960, using his distinctive technique known as “the relief cut board”. Gradually, recognizable forms made space for more abstract motifs, presented in a muted color palette.

The timing of Fon Klement’s rediscovery of the watercolor technique was impeccable, as he found himself at a crossroads in his artistic journey. The desire for change became increasingly strong, leading him on a quest that took him on a ten-week exploration of the Provence region. In his improvised studio in the southern French town of Lorgues, flowers were in abundance. Poppies, irises, roses, delphiniums, and hibiscus seduced the artist to continue pursuing the path he had previously embarked on: painting and watercoloring still lifes of flowers.

Since 1961, Fon Klement has been a member of Xylon, the international association of woodcutters, which regularly exhibits graphic art across Europe. The exhibition “Prints today in the USA”, featuring a comprehensive overview of Dutch artists’ prints including Fon Klement’s works, traveled extensively throughout the United States for many years. Fon Klement was awarded the Audience Prize during the “Grafiek Nu” graphic art biennial in Laren in autumn 1990, and later at the first international graphic art biennial in Maastricht in summer 1993.

www.ftn-books.com has now the van SPIJK publication on Fon Klement available.

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Barbara & Michael Leisgen (continued)

The works produced by Barbara and Michael Leisgen during the 1970s represented a contrast to the prevailing style of conceptual photography, which was predominantly dominated by the typological school of Bernd and Hilla Becher in Düsseldorf. The various works showcased below are part of the Mimesis series, which has been in practice since the early 1960s. These works involve the documentation of natural imprints, exploration of the human body, and experiments related to Land Art.

One of Barbara Leisgen’s distinctive techniques involves imprinting her silhouette onto the landscape, leaving a fleeting trace. This is achieved by extending her arms to follow the contours of undulating countryside in works such as the Paysage mimétique and Mimesis series. Another technique involves incorporating the sun into an arc drawn by her arm while she is positioned centrally in the image, as seen from behind. This approach goes beyond mere imitation of nature through physical gestures; it also encompasses the act of tracing and channeling nature. The (re)appropriation of the landscape is a subjective experience, with Barbara Leisgen’s silhouette displayed within the landscape, leaving an ephemeral mark.

These photographs evoke the imagery of German Romanticism, specifically the paintings of Caspar David Friedrich. Friedrich’s painting Morgenlicht, in particular, serves as a figurative inspiration for the Leisgens’ Mime-sis works. However, their approach also deviates from Friedrich’s perspective of nature as sacred. One could argue that their viewpoint is influenced by an anthropocentric romantic outlook, similar to the French Romantic tradition. Nevertheless, despite the sublime nature of the photographed scenes and the meticulousness of the prints, which hint at the possibility of a wide spectrum of colors in the luminous light, the images also evoke a sense of naivety and inherent nostalgia found in souvenir photographs. The viewers are placed in a reflective position, observing a woman posing within a natural expanse. Through this approach, Barbara and Michael Leisgen can be seen as pioneers of contemporary landscape photography, bridging modernist and postmodernist perspectives.

www.ftn-books.com recently acquired the scarce ” LA TENTATIVE DE SAUTER PAR DESSUSL’HORIZON from 1975

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Burton Brothers (1866-1914)

One of the most significant photographers in nineteenth-century New Zealand is Alfred Burton. He is particularly renowned for his collection of photos depicting the Māori people in the Whanganui and King Country regions. These photos, titled “Through the King Country with a camera: a photographers diary,” were published in 1885 as a supplement to his catalogue, “The Māori at Home,” in the Otago Daily Times.

Alfred Henry Burton (1834–1914) and Walter John Burton (1836–1880) were born in Leicester, England. Their father, John Burton, was a well-known photographer in the area. His company, John Burton and Sons, had the privilege of working with Queen Victoria and other members of the Royal Family.

In 1866, Walter Burton moved to Dunedin and successfully established his own photography studio. However, with the time-consuming nature of photography in the 1860s, Walter had more work than he could handle. As a result, in 1868, he convinced his older brother, Alfred, to join him, and they became partners in the Grand Photographic Saloon and Gallery on Princes Street, Dunedin.

While Walter focused on portrait photography, Alfred embarked on extensive travels, frequently venturing to Fiordland, the Southern Lakes, and South Westland. His collection of photographs, titled “Views of Fiordland,” played a crucial role in advocating for the area to be designated as a national park.

Nevertheless, the challenges of scenic photography in the 1860s were significant. Poor roads and river crossings on horseback posed risks to the cumbersome photographic equipment. In response, the Burton Brothers commissioned the construction of a photographic van in 1869. This mobile darkroom featured a collapsible roof for travel, eliminating the need to set up a dark tent and saving valuable time for developing photos.

In 1873, the Burton Brothers unveiled their first panoramas of Dunedin, including a breathtaking shot taken from Bedford House atop Bell Hill. This elevated perspective created an effect reminiscent of an aerial photograph.

Around the same time, the Burtons devised an innovative photo montage to promote their business, resembling a photographic CV. This masterpiece consisted of 780 portraits and earned recognition as one of the most ambitious commercial collages of its time. Among the notable personalities showcased were James Cook, Queen Victoria, and Julius Vogel.

Unfortunately, the partnership between Alfred and Walter ended on a bitter note in 1877.

www.ftn-books.com has the Volkenkunde book from 1987 now available.