Mark Brusse (1937), a renowned sculptor, ceramicist, painter, and graphic artist, has resided in Paris since 1961. His father was the acclaimed writer and journalist Marie Joseph Brusse (1873-1941), and among his six brothers, Jan and Peter Brusse (correspondents), filmmaker Ytzen Brusse, architect Henk Brusse, and actor Kees Brusse are well known. He spent his youth in Bergen (NH) and after his father’s death, in Nijmegen where his stepfather’s house burned down during the bombing in 1944. Brusse enrolled in the academy in Arnhem in 1958 (residing at Parkstraat 20). During his studies, he developed a friendship with Klaas Gubbels, Rik van Bentem, Ted Felen, and co-founded NADA, a collective with the aim of breaking into Amsterdam’s art scene. He succeeded and received a grant from the Maison Descartes to live and work in Paris for eight months. In Paris, he encountered the Nouveaux Réalistes (led by Pierre Restany), which included Jean Tinguely and Yves Klein.
In the following years, he spent months abroad regularly, such as in New York (1965) where he met Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and others, on the recommendation of Cees Nooteboom, Berlin (1970), Japan (1983), Korea (1983), and Benin in Africa.
Death, decay, and their handling in non-Western cultures play a significant role in Brusse’s work, often described as poetic. The Japanese culture, in particular, has had a lasting influence on his art. He works extensively in ceramics and stone, creating wooden assemblages. Additionally, he employs various graphic techniques and creates large paintings.
One of Brusse’s most recognized works is “Hommage a Piet Mondriaan” from 1965, which is housed in the Stedelijk Museum.
www.ftn-books.com has some very early Brusse publications available.
