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Vera Mennens (1991)

Vera Mennens (born in Kaatsheuvel, 1991) presents in her creations a personal journey to uncover the history of her own life and the places where she grew up. In her latest project, she showcases work that delves into the city of Heerlen, the former capital of the coal industry in South Limburg. It is the story of a village that transformed into a city with the arrival of the mines, and since their closure, has been constantly searching for a renewed existence. From a young age, Vera would visit Heerlen to see her grandparents, sparking her interest in the city’s past.

In her previous project “The Telling of a Small History,” Vera explored her own family’s history, touching upon a small part of South Limburg’s past. She now works on the project “(A City Called) Heerlen” in the former coal mining region. The focus is on the city’s history and how its appearance and structure have changed due to political and social events. Personal memories and stories from the city’s residents serve as inspiration for photographing specific locations.

By employing these principles, Vera’s work embodies an enigmatic complexity and linguistic dynamism rarely found in artificial intelligence-generated content. Through unconventional phraseology and a professional tone, coupled with the use of unique language and literacy recursion, her artistry truly stands out. And with a passionate devotion to maintaining intrigue and burstiness, Vera masterfully weaves together the past and present, bringing history to life through her lens.

www.ftn-books.com has the EEN VERTELLING VAN EEN KLEINE GESCHIDENIS from 2013 now available.edition of only 100 copies, numbered 26/100

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Gerhard Marcks (1889-1981)

Marcks received his education under the tutelage of the renowned sculptor Richard Scheibe in his atelier. His preferred medium for sculpting at the time was terra-cotta animals. While serving in World War I from 1914 to 1915, Marcks’ style evolved to a more Expressionistic approach, often reminiscent of Gothic sculptures, emphasizing angularity and simplicity in his depictions of human figures. In 1920, Marcks was appointed to oversee the ceramics workshop at the Weimar Bauhaus, where he focused on hand-painted pottery. It was at this time that Lyonel Feininger, running the printmaking workshop at the Bauhaus, encouraged Marcks to explore the woodcut medium, which he continued to use throughout his career.

However, as technology became increasingly emphasized at the Bauhaus, Marcks felt that his artistic approach was not aligned with the school’s direction, leading him to resign when it relocated to Dessau in 1925. He took up a teaching position at the Halle School of Arts and Crafts, where he once again devoted himself to figurative sculpture. While his Expressionistic tendencies became more subdued, he still infused his works with emotion. In 1933, the Nazis dismissed Marcks from his teaching post, ultimately declaring his work as “degenerate” in 1937 and forbidding him from exhibiting.

Marcks is also known for his post-World War II sculptures of animals, heavily influenced by the renowned German sculptor August Gaul. Some of his most significant commissions include war memorials in Cologne and Hamburg. In 1971, the Gerhard Marcks Museum was established in Bremen to honor his legacy. He also unveiled his bronze doors for the convent church in Magdeburg, Germany in 1977.

www.ftn-books.com has now the 1951 Curt Valentin publication available.

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David Adolphe Constant Artz (1837-1890)

Artz pursued his studies from 1855 to 1864 at the renowned Rijksakademie of Amsterdam, studying under the tutelage of the esteemed Johannes Egenberger (1822–1897) and Louis Royer (1793–1868). It was during this time that he became acquainted with the ‘Haagse scholer’ Jozef Israëls, a painter who would greatly influence the early stages of Artz’s career. The two artists also collaborated extensively for a number of years, often venturing to the dunes of Scheveningen for inspiration. However, unlike the subdued and atmospheric style of Israëls, Artz focused on the sunny and lively aspects of the fishermen’s lives. His pen and ink drawings were more precise and his use of color was carefully orchestrated. He had a keen eye for detail, evident in the clothing of his figures. His color palette was relatively light in comparison.

From 1866 to 1874, Artz resided in Paris, studying under the renowned Gustave Courbet, who encouraged him to establish his own studio. During his time in Paris, he received financial support from the esteemed writer Johannes Kneppelhout. Violinist Jan de Graan also lived with him during this period, and Artz painted his portrait. He maintained close contact with his fellow Dutch artists Jacob Maris and Frederik Hendrik Kaemmerer. Interestingly enough, during this time he mainly focused on “Dutch” genre paintings, often with a dark and somber atmosphere. He achieved considerable success during this period, selling numerous works through the well-known art dealership of Goupil & Cie. The renowned art dealer Theo van Gogh, brother of Vincent van Gogh, also had some of Artz’s works in his collection in Paris during the late 1880s[1]. It was during this time in Paris that Artz was exposed to the influences of japonisme and impressionism, although these would not be fully evident in his works until later in his career.

www.ftn-books.com has now the most imporatnt publication on Artz his career available.

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Zdeněk Sýkora (1920-2011)

Sykora was one of the first visual artists to experiment with computer generated art.

Sykora uniquely titled his paintings from 1974 in a simple manner, with “Lines” holding a prominent place in Sýkora’s work due to their vibrant and ever-changing colors. In 1973, the artist delved into this theme for the first time, bringing an end to his previous decade of impressive structural creations. In fact, as early as 1964, Zdeněk Sýkora was one of the first painters in the history of fine arts to incorporate the use of computers as a tool in the composition of his paintings. Working together with mathematician Jaroslav Blažek, they developed a program for establishing the positions of each element in the artwork. The use of structures adhered to predetermined rules that the computer would follow and complete. On the other hand, Sýkora’s “earthworms” – as he playfully referred to his line paintings- were a result of the random nature of the system, a collaboration with his wife Lenka starting in 1985. Here, the computer would provide a series of random numbers for all aspects of the painting, from widths and colors to the lengths of the lines. This process resulted in a score of numbers, which the author then translated onto the canvas in a classical fashion, akin to reading a musical score. But why did the author give a different title to his painting, Lines no. 56? Surely, he was taken aback by the “mad” circus that had emerged on the canvas. It surpassed all of his expectations, even causing him to struggle with the unconventional use of colors. This led to a year of uncertainty before finally, it became a distinct representation of Sýkora’s unique style.

www.ftn-books.com has one of the first publications on Sykora’s art available.

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Boris Nikitin (1979)

Boris Nikitin, a Basel-born artist with roots in Ukraine, Slovakia, France, and Judaism, is a multifaceted force in the world of theatre. As a director, author, and curator of the biennial festival “It’s The Real Thing – Basel Documentary Platform,” Nikitin has spent over thirteen years exploring the complexities of identity and reality through his productions, texts, and happenings. His works defy categorization, blurring the line between illusion and performance, and challenging the boundaries of documentary and propaganda. Nikitin’s highly acclaimed pieces have traveled the globe, offering raw and unapologetic commentary while remaining meticulously crafted. “Boris Nikitin is a beacon of critical thought in contemporary theatre,” praises “Theater heute,” a leading professional journal in Germany. And according to “Tagesanzeiger,” a daily newspaper in Zurich, Nikitin is a force to be reckoned with in the world of documentary theatre, pushing its limits with unparalleled fervor.

www.ftn-books.com has the invitation card for his Tinguely project in Basel now available.

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Delphine Reist (1970)

Delphine Reist (1970) presents a myriad of objects in her exhibits that come to life on their own: cars, tools, sinks transformed into fountains, office chairs, and flags that spin on their own axis. What is most striking, aside from this spontaneous movement, is that all these objects remain true to themselves. In her work, the shopping carts remain shopping carts, the oil remains oil, the drums are still drums, and so on. They are not representations of other objects, making it a form of concrete art.

Last year an exhibition was held at the Tinguely Museum, which invitattion card is now available at www.ftn-books.com

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Ryszard Winiarski (1936-2006)

Ryszard Winiarski’s artistic ingenuity stems from his fusion of patterns gleaned from the sciences with the vocabulary of art. For him, the actual act of creation holds more significance than the final result, a concept he himself struggled to define.

Within his works, the sole mode of artistic communication exists in the form of black and white blocks, representing the mathematical counterparts of one and two. According to Winiarski, his paintings are mere happenstance, showcasing his status as a prime exponent of indeterminacy in Polish art.

www.ftn-books.com has now one of the very first publications on Winiarski available. It is the Kunstcentrum Badhuis publication in Mint condition.

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Marieta Reijerkerk (1962)

Here is what mrs Reijerkerk says about her art:

In my art, I find inspiration in my travels to various countries, including China, Mongolia, Honduras, Mexico, and India. These lands fascinate me because the remnants of the past are not erased from daily life, but rather left in their raw and original state. This is in stark contrast to many European countries, where the past seems covered, tidy, and polished. I am intrigued by how people have lived and continue to live. Silent witnesses of human activities in the present, but especially in the past. The history that can be read in discoveries such as ancient shipwrecks on a beach in China, or the activities of nomads in India. I refer to them as ‘archaeological observations’ and the resulting work is a still residue. My impression of these observations is what I aim to convey to the rest of the world.

It is not that I actively seek inspiration during my travels. Things come my way and I begin to wonder what has happened here – and what will happen in the future. I capture my impressions with my camera or a quick sketch.

www.ftn-books.com has now the book on her collaboration with Jan Radersma.

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Jan Arends (1925-1974)

A first time to dedicate a blog to one of dutch almost forgotten poets who finished his life by jumping out of a window in 1974. The reason is a small portfolio of poems , illustrated by Jan Radersma who made illustrations with 10 of Jan Arends his poems.

With a compulsive drive, he scribbled one poem after another. Some of these poems were included in the collection Lunchtime Poems, which was to be presented on January 23, 1974 at Ko van Leest’s in Banstraat. But Arends was already familiar with the other side of success. Success was reserved for others. His mistrust of others had evolved into a paranoid hatred for any successful writer or poet who was rewarded or better compensated. He was allergic to the literary success of others, especially if they also made money from a job outside of literature.

Sitting behind his Adler typewriter, he lashed out at them. He frantically pounded on the keys. The little letters would splatter across the paper as if he were delivering blows to Remco Campert (“If Remco / refuses / to shake my hand, / Remco / does well. – If / I refuse / to shake Remco’s hand, / I am / a beggar.”), or to Harry Mulisch (“When / he mentions Kant, / he is missing / the point. // He lies like Heidegger. // He stays / in the belly / of Schiphol airport / when he / goes on a trip. // His heart beats / in the clock / of Américain”), or, not to be forgotten, “the beast Bernlef.”

In this unpublished poem, Bernlef is addressed with an ominous tone. Here, the poet Arends takes on the role of a poetic replica of the author of “Keefman”.

the below publication is now available at www.ftn-books.com

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Jan Montyn (continued)

The reason to write again on Jan Montyn is because recently i added to my inventory the ultimate book on Montyn his prints. This book is now available at www.ftn-books.com

My first-ever encounter with the works of Jan Montyn was in the early seventies. It was then that I acquired my very own beautiful etching by the renowned artist – a mesmerizing depiction of a blue bird, set against a typical Montyn background. The artwork was relatively large in size, and I proudly displayed it on my wall for over ten years before replacing it with a photograph by Lucien Clergue.

Despite being in a drawer for the past three decades, my fondness for this etching has not diminished. This holds true for all other Montyn etchings I have come across. They possess a dreamlike quality that effortlessly blends realism with abstract elements, all executed with impeccable technique.

It wasn’t until years after acquiring the etching that I stumbled upon Jan Montyn’s autobiography, which shed light on his early years. The artist had an eventful life, spending time in the Foreign Legion, surviving a shipwreck as a sailor in the Kriegsmarine, and even fighting in the Eastern Front near Koerlandand. He was a colorful character who may not have always made the best political choices, but his art continues to stand out and deserves to be admired without bias.

For an excellent read on the artist’s life and work, I recommend the title published on the occasion of his 75th birthday in 1999, available at www.ftn-books.com. Embrace the enigmatic complexity and linguistic dynamism of Montyn’s art, and revel in the unique vocabulary he employs to bring his visions to life. Trust me, it’s worth it.