International Art News

Floor

25 February to 20 May 2012 – Kunsthal Rotterdam
The Kunsthal Rotterdam proudly presents the exhibition Closer to You, illustrating the fascination that Dutch painter Jasper Krabbé has for his wife and muse Floor. The exhibition, which includes over 200 portraits, illustrates Krabbé’s desire to get closer to her. He spent a year and a half creating images portraying ever different aspects of this one woman. The selected works illustrate a wide diversity of options for creating contemporary portraits as well as a variety of techniques on paper. Krabbé particular likes to work on ‘used’ backgrounds such as pieces of cardboard, envelopes and packaging materials. All his works are presented in frames that he has found and many of which are antique. The portraits, presented as an installation across two floors of the Kunsthal’s Design Gallery, are an ode to love.

The series of portraits range from watercolours to detailed studies in ink, and from detailed portraits to simple line drawings. The works contain countless references to portrait art but also to street art and film posters. Furthermore, the frailty and transience of life form a recurrent theme in Krabbé’s work. In close proximity to his muse, he has recorded moments in time that would otherwise have been lost. In the portraits, we see Floor taking a nap in the car, staring into space or standing in a shop. On viewing these works, one feels almost a part of these daily, sometimes profound moments.

Jasper Krabbé (1970) lives and works in Amsterdam. He graduated with honours from the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam and from the Cooper Union in New York. Krabbé began his artistic career as a graffiti artist and was a member of the Amsterdamse Collectief USA (United Street Artists). His work often reflects memories of places, events and individuals. Krabbé has had various exhibitions in countries including Sweden, Brazil, Italy and the United States of America. His work is included in collections belonging to De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and others.

Museum Hours

Philip Akkerman, 2009

From the 9th of April to the 26th of June 2011 – Kunsthal Rotterdam
The Kunsthal Rotterdam proudly presents ‘Akkermania’, an exhibition illustrating the infinite variety to be found in the work of Dutch painter Philip Akkerman. In 1981, Akkerman decided to paint self-portraits, and over the last thirty years he has built up an oeuvre of almost three thousand paintings, no two of which are alike. With over four hundred pieces, this exhibition illustrates the incredible diversity of his work. The Kunsthal invited eleven different collectors to present their entire ‘Akkerman Collections’ in Akkermania. For the first time ever, visitors will be able to see Akkerman’s intriguing oeuvre through the eyes of these collectors.

As well as choosing to paint only self-portraits, Philip Akkerman has set himself an increasing number of constraints over the years. He only uses three formats for his portraits (27×25 cm, 40×34 cm and 50×43 cm), and after several unencumbered years, decided in 1985 to paint exclusively in oils and tempera on prepared panels using the techniques of the Old Masters. These fixed rules provide the artist with an interesting field of play; once the lines have been drawn, play can begin, because countless questions still remain. In 2007, Akkerman wrote the following to one of the collectors: “(…) The depiction of the skin, the importance of style, the origin and the conclusion of painting, are there any rules, how serious must or may a painting be, the importance of true likeness, of technique, chaos, uncertainty and doubt (…) and much, much more, but most importantly who or what am I?”

Philip Akkerman - Self-portrait 2005 no.31 40x34 cm

Many major collections, both in the Netherlands and further afield, include work by Philip Akkerman. The eleven collectors were asked to lend the Kunsthal every one of their Akkerman pieces, and every complete collection tells it own story. One collector buys a single painting every year while another purchases a chronological series in one go. With over 250 paintings, the Caldic Collection comprises the largest number of Akkerman self portraits and supplements their collection with a new painting every year. Other collectors such as Hauser & Wirth choose to purchase a single powerful series of portraits, whilst J. Zondt consistently opts for paintings that are ‘strange’ and divergent. Akkermania illustrates the infinite variety in the work of Philip Akkerman as seen through eleven pairs of eyes.

Museum Hours