Intensely Dutch

Uncompromising, confronting, optimistic — after the Second World War a new young generation of Dutch artists took to modernity as never before. For them it was a time of renewal. Bright colour, impasto and vigorous handling were particular features of the work of many post-war Dutch artists.

Intensely Dutch: Image, abstraction and the word, post-war and beyond, which will show at the Art Gallery of NSW from 5 June to 23 August, presents the art of 15 of the most important Dutch artists of the post-war period. Included are those associated with the CoBrA movement (Karel Appel, Constant, Corneille and Lucebert) and art informel (Jaap Wagemaker, Jan J Schoonhoven and Bram Bogart) and those who preceded them, like Bram van Velde and Willem de Kooning, who rose to prominence internationally post-war.

The inclusion of paintings, gouaches and drawings by Jan Riske, who has lived and worked in Australia since 1952, is therefore critical to the exhibition, as is the work of Theo Kuijpers, who visited in 1979 and 1985. They each provide an active and tangible link between modern Dutch and Australian art. Similarities between Australian and Dutch artists will be apparent to visitors to the exhibition; for example the work of Ian Fairweather, Arthur Boyd and John Olsen.

The exhibition provides a rare first-hand introduction to modern Dutch art and poetry. There were numerous collaborations between Dutch artists and poets, eg Bert Schierbeek, Jan G Elburg, and Simon Vinkenoog. Several post-war Dutch artists wrote poetry, including Karel Appel, Lucebert and Jaap Nanninga, so selected poems by them will also feature.

The majority of the works included are on loan from ten Dutch public collections, augmented with loans from four Australian public galleries, the Pompidou in Paris and private collectors in the Netherlands, Belgium and Australia. A fully illustrated catalogue will accompany the exhibition, with translations of Dutch poetry (by Dutch-born Australian poet Cornelis Vleeskens), contributions from Dutch curators and biographies of all the artists included.

This exhibition provides a fresh and unexpected introduction to modern Dutch art, as well as the opportunity to see the work of artists rarely shown outside Europe, from public collections with which Australians are largely unfamiliar.

The curator responsible for the exhibition is Hendrik Kolenberg, Senior Curator of Australian Prints, Drawings and Watercolours at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Dutch-born, he has long harboured a desire to present aspects of Dutch art and literature that would interest those of Dutch heritage as well as those in the wider Australian community.

The exhibition is generously sponsored by ING with the support of the Netherlands Embassy in Canberra and Netherlands Consulate General in Sydney.

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