“Opera Aperta/Loose Work,” collaborative Dutch Venice Biennale project, opens 1 June in Venice

Photograph by Achim Hatzius

CORRECTION: The above photograph when originally posted incorrectly identified the author as "Johannes Schwartz." The work is by Achim Hatzius. I regret the error.


Schwartz, a contempary fine art photographer, has exhibited widely and published art books, like "Passion," released in 2010.

Photograph by Johannes Schwartz (2010)

Eurostat this month revealed the Netherlands has a high number of working artists and writers compared to its total population—1.3 percent, or 110,000.

In total numbers, the Dutch ranked fifth behind Germany with 330,000; UK, 200,000, France, 180,000 and Italy, 120,000—all countries with much larger populations.

Romania has the fewest working artists and writers: 0.1 percent of their population.

In other happenings affecting Dutch artists:

“Opera Aperta/Loose Work,” collaborative Dutch Venice Biennale project: 1 June – 27 November,  Venice, Italy.

Photograph by Joke Robaard

Guus Beumer, director of Marres, the Centre for Contemporary Culture in Maastricht, has named a multi-disciplinary team of eight people to collaborate and link notions of national identity and community.

By Barbara Visser

Beumer´s team: Visual artists Joke Robaard, Johannes Schwartz and Barbara Visser; designer Maureen Mooren; architects Herman Verkerkh and Paul Kuipers; author Sanneke van Hassel and composer, Yannis Kyriakides. 

"This is not a Damient Hirst" by designer Maureen Mooren

Pieter Wellevrede donates 50 of his paintings to Mumbai, part of a pledge he made to his late spiritual mentor, Harish Johari:  At the Ganga Natural Heritage Museum in Rishikesh, India from 14 April.

Graphic designer Wim Crouwel, “A Graphic Odyssey:” Design Museum, London—until 3 July.

This is Crouwel´s first major retrospective in London. 

Born in Groningen in 1928, Crouwel began his career as a painter, later creating his New Alphabet in 1967.

Deisgn by Wim Crouwel

Dutch artist Ted Noten, Ornamentum Gallery, Hudson, New York, shows off his “Uzi Mon Amour,” 24-karat gold plated weapon at a mere $92,000, a real gun, one of five. 

Noten´s  “Lady K,” an equally upscale pistol for your purse, sold for $52,000 in 2008. Is the Uzi worth more after or before the Great Crash of ´08?

"Tedwalk" by Ted Noten

Dutch fantasy author and artist, W. J. Maryson (born Wim Stolk), age 61, died on 9 March.

He received the 2004 Elf Fantasy Award for best fantasy novel. Maryson is survived by his wife and four children.

Getty returns Nazi stolen painting to Dutch-Jewish art dealer´s heir

 

Once confirmed that the Getty Museum possessed a painting stolen by the Nazis from Jacques Goudstikker, part of Hermann Goering´s infamous cache of looted art, Getty agreed to return it.

Recently in San Francisco at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the ex-Getty painting joined 44 others in: “Reclaimed: Paintings from the Collection of Jacques Goudstikker,” part of a national tour.

Gabriel Lester (b. 1972, Amsterdam, NL) recently completed his residency at The Rijksakademe, Amsterdam.

by Gabriel Lester

Until 8 May, his show, “Suspension of Disbelief,” continues at Museum Boljmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam.

Gerrit Rietveld, an Italian retrospective: 14 April – 10 July at the National Museum of XXI Century Arts, Rome.

The show features more than 100 works of architecture, design, drawings, photos, models of the Dutch maestro (b. Utrecht, 1888 – 1964).

Co-curators: Maristella Casciato, Domitilla Dardi and Ida van Zijl.

By Gerrit Rietveld

Dutch designer Joris Laarman and Japanese design group, nendo, The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Ga: 4 June – 21 August.

Laarman´s “Digital Matter” and nendo´s “Visible Structures” join a larger show, “Modern by Design.”

Rock on and practice peace and love.

Stefan, the ArtTraveler ™

Check out a sculpture or mosaics workshop or walking tour in our beautiful mountains. See: www.spanjeanders.nl and www.competafinearts.com.

 

Contact me at stefanvandrake@gmail.com or by calling (34) 951 067 703; from the UK at BT landline rates, 0844 774 8349.