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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.

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Rene Portocarrero (1912-1985)

Born in El Cerro, Havana in 1912. He began painting at an early age and entered the San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts at the age of 14. He was too temperamental to adapt to this training, so he left the institution and began working independently. His work was exhibited for the first time at the Havana Art Salon. In 1939 Porto Calero became a professor at the Institute of Free Painting and Sculpture under the guidance of Eduardo Abella. The artist traveled to Haiti, Europe and the United States, and in 1945 had an exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York. He also created numerous murals and ceramics.
Porto Carrero’s work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Su00e3o Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, New York and San Francisco. At the National Gallery of Canada. At the Bellas Artes in Caracas. Milwaukee Art Center, Pan American Union in Washington. Contemporary art in Paris. Houston Museum of Art. Museum of Art, Indianapolis. Bellas Artes, Montevideo. Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires. Contemporary Art Institute, Lima, Peru. It is also at the National Museum in Havana.

He painted vigorously from childhood, but never planned his own works. In his spontaneity, he had no idea what he was going to do until his brush hit the canvas. The artist died in Havana on April 7, 1985.

www.ftn-books.com has now the Henschel Verlag book available.



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Bruno Capacci (1906-1996)

Bruno Capacci was born in Venice in 1906 but spent his youth in Florence. He settled in Paris in 1930, where he became a member of the “Italians of Paris” along with De Chirico, Severini, Magni, Magnelli and Leonor Fini. The capacchi of the “Metaphysical Age” was influenced by De Chirico and the great Renaissance masters such as Uccello, della Francesca and Ghirlandaio. In 1930 he met and married the Belgian artist Suzanne Van Damme at the famous brasserie “Le Dome”. The couple were the surrealist poets Paul u00c9luard, Paul Collinet, Marcel Lecomte, Louis Soutenaire and Henri Bauchaud, Andru00e9 Breton, Marcel Duchamp, Henri Michaud, Jean Cocteau and Louise de Villemorin. , Federico Fellini, Jean Paulin, and actor Louis Jouvet. Close others. In 1947, the “Surrealist Pope” invited Andre Breton Capacz and Van Damme to the “Surrealist International Exposition” to be held at the Margut Gallery in Paris, and invited Arp, Bellmer, Brauner, Calder, Duchamp, Ernst, Giacometti, Gorky, Lamb, Matta, Milo, Picabia, Man Ray, Tanguy, Tanning, etc. Capacchi’s paintings became more and more sophisticated and poetic. He also published surrealist poetry in the book La balustrade du Possible. His photographs reveal his boundless imagination, his delicate color palette and, above all, his extraordinary joie de vivre. His favorite themes include moonscapes and fantastic bestiary, reminiscent of Klee and Brauner.
When the couple moved to Florence in the 1950s, they built a beautiful house with stunning views of the surrounding Fiesole hills. Inspired by the great idol Andrea della Robbia, Capacchi began making a line of ceramics that he displayed throughout his home and sold to a variety of clients, including numerous wealthy Americans. Each year the couple exhibited in galleries in the United States: Chicago (Marshall Field Gallery 1959), New York (Thibault Gallery on Madison Avenue 1961), Los Angeles, Baltimore and Dallas (Calhoun Gallery 1961).

Capacci also had a taste for marble and mosaics, and produced many decorative panels inspired by ancient Etruscan and Byzantine art. A versatile artist and poet, Capacz made porcelain plates in his Havilland factory in Limoges, Christofle in Paris, and his ateliers in Rosenthal, Germany. In the 1970s Capacz and Van Damme returned to Brussels and lived in a house near Avenue Louise.
His first 1990 exhibition in the Group 2 gallery was a tribute to Suzanne Van Damme, followed by his 1991 solo exhibition of Capacci. Capacci died in Brussels in 1996, shortly after the opening of Van Damme’s Capacci exhibition at the same gallery.

www.ftn-books.com has the Group 2 catalog now available.

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Georges Carrey (1902-1953)

Because of a purchase of small collection of art books I first encountered the works by Georges Carrey. I saw a resemblance with Willem Hussem . Broad strokes of paint , diagonal painted making it a joy to look at.

Georges Carey was born in Paris but moved to Belgium in 1922.
Initially he was an advertising designer and illustrator, but later he mainly painted portraits, landscapes and still lifes. He experimented a lot and from 1946 he started creating abstract works. In 1947 he returned to Paris and took lessons from Andre Rothe, where he met Nicolas de Stael. He often used a knife to work on the canvas and create geometric compositions. In 1952 he became a member of the group “Art Abstract”.
A year later, he died of a heart attack at the age of 51.

www.ftn-books.com has now the Museum van Oostende catalog from 1991 available.

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Dorien Melis (1938-2021)

Johan Claassen describes his work as “minimal, musical visual poetry”. What can I add? Dorien Melis (1938-2021) made small paintings, primarily on canvas or panel, in which lines were drawn along somewhat larger shapes to depict memories. These memories must have something to do with the city’s reflections Like the water, the horizon at dusk, or the cold light of the morning sun streaming into the bedroom through a light curtain. Her works have titles such as Life of Water, Little Cantatas, Songs of the Night, and Between the Lines. A painting depicting how vulnerable people are protected. A minimalist, musical visual poem.

www.ftn-books.com has 2 small Melis publications available.