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Els Drummen , kunstadviseur NN Group
Courage and Craftsmanship in 8 works of art
Els Drummen (1980) has been a senior art advisor at the Nationale-Nederlanden corporate collection since 2016. Before that she worked as a curator at the Cobra Museum of Modern Art in Amstelveen. The history of the NN collection, with more than 2000 works of art, goes back to the early 20th century and includes various disciplines: Dutch painting, photography, graphics, glass art, sculptures and video art. Since 2017, Nationale-Nederlanden has been presenting the NN Art Award during Art Rotterdam. Always an exciting moment for the nominees and the public! Els, as chairman of the jury, presented this incentive prize worth 10,000 Euros to the artist Ana Navas this year. Els would like to contribute to a greater visibility of the unique collections of companies and (semi) public institutions in the Netherlands, which she does, among other things, through her board position at the Netherlands Association of Corporate Art Collections (VBCN). Many artists whose work is part of the various corporate collections of the VBCN can be found on GalleryViewer.
For GalleryViewer, Els Drummen curated the collection "Courage and Craftsmanship" which she motivates as follows:
I always feel very privileged to go on a studio visit during my work as an art consultant. In the artist studios you see a very personal environment where often the most exciting material experiments take place. In this collection I want to pay attention to artists who demonstrate ultimate mastery of materials and technical craftsmanship in their work. They are both young talents who dare to use materials in new ways, and artists who have been developing their own technique for years. Both categories require a lot of courage and perseverance, especially in these times...
For GalleryViewer, Els Drummen curated the collection "Courage and Craftsmanship" which she motivates as follows:
I always feel very privileged to go on a studio visit during my work as an art consultant. In the artist studios you see a very personal environment where often the most exciting material experiments take place. In this collection I want to pay attention to artists who demonstrate ultimate mastery of materials and technical craftsmanship in their work. They are both young talents who dare to use materials in new ways, and artists who have been developing their own technique for years. Both categories require a lot of courage and perseverance, especially in these times...
0 Media items ᛫ 20 Available artworks
7 Shows ᛫ 0 Highlights ᛫ 0 Recommendations
Ricardo van Eyk’s work may seem unfinished, but it is precisely the rough finish that lasts and continues to fascinate. The constructivist panels with holes, wood filler and aerosol paint have enormous poetic power. Do we see a spider on a cupboard or a crack in a window? I like to let myself be carried away in the experiments that Van Eyck (1993) always enters. He dares to let the material speak for himself, but at the same time makes interventions that are very architectural. As a viewer you can therefore continue to associate very freely. Ricardo considers himself a painter, but he also makes very sturdy constructions, the surface of which I always want to touch. If you want to know more about his practice and methods, at galerie tegenboschvanvreden you will always receive a wonderful explanation as a visitor.
4 Media items ᛫ 37 Available artworks
3 Shows ᛫ 0 Highlights ᛫ 0 Recommendations
Koen Taselaar (1986) is a draftsman through and through, but his artistic practice consists of more disciplines: he also makes prints, ceramic sculptures and tapestries. He dares to use all techniques and has worked in the European Ceramic Work Center in Oisterwijk and in the Textile Museum in Tilburg, among others. This year we purchased a ceramic sculpture from gallery Cokkie Snoei for the corporate collection of Nationale-Nederlanden. Koen Taselaar was one of the nominees for the NN Art Award this year. As a jury, we were immediately convinced of Koen's graphic imagery, which shows a unique imagination. He is also good at telling stories in a very playful and humorous way. Personally, I like his coloured pencil drawings the most, where his rich imagination immediately captivates you.
0 Media items ᛫ 11 Available artworks
4 Shows ᛫ 0 Highlights ᛫ 0 Recommendations
At this year’s Prospects & Concepts section at Art Rotterdam, Tobias Lengkeek (1991) showed that you can also skate over his paintings. His self-built skater ramps have made a big impression. Among other things, Tobias showed his fascination for decay. The paint was literally shaved off by the skateboard wheels. His recent work is often about deserted areas, broken roads or dilapidated houses. These locations give you an uncanny feeling, yet at the same time attract you because of the absence of human figures. As a viewer, you look for traces of human activity and events past in these landscapes. With his great talent for painting, Tobias shows in detail the beauty of decay.
That this artist is not afraid to work in a different discipline is evident from the assignment that Tobias Lengkeek is carrying out for Nationale-Nederlanden this year. For various floors in our offices The Hague and Rotterdam, he converted his painterly style into a landscape design that was milled into trespa plates. His authentic style is beautifully visible on our monumental office walls. In better times, we are happy to show this commissioned work to a wider audience.
That this artist is not afraid to work in a different discipline is evident from the assignment that Tobias Lengkeek is carrying out for Nationale-Nederlanden this year. For various floors in our offices The Hague and Rotterdam, he converted his painterly style into a landscape design that was milled into trespa plates. His authentic style is beautifully visible on our monumental office walls. In better times, we are happy to show this commissioned work to a wider audience.
Pere Llobera
2 Media items ᛫ 0 Available artworks
0 Shows ᛫ 0 Highlights ᛫ 0 Recommendations
I do not know whether Tobias Lengkeek has ever looked at the colour palette of the Spanish artist Pere LIobera (1970) who is of a generation above him, but this artist should not be omitted when it comes to mastery of the materials. His work requires few words. Like no other, LIobera shows how you can create the ultimate atmospheric images with paint.
2 Media items ᛫ 24 Available artworks
10 Shows ᛫ 2 Highlights ᛫ 2 Recommendations
From paintings to sculptures, or are they machines? A few years ago, I was asked to open an exhibition by Willem Harbers (1976). He makes objects that evoke associations with printing presses, gramophones and generators. The use of steel, lacquer and marble gives these sculptures a mechanical and functional appearance, but the powder coating with a pearl-like shine makes the works much more aesthetic. Some objects from Harbers’ oeuvre are reminiscent of the design of interiors from the 1950s, but his white objects seem almost timeless. As far as I am concerned, this is the result of years of craftsmanship.
Harbers himself puts it very nicely: “My images are reminiscent of machines, but they are not machines that speed up our lives, but rather slow them down. And… it takes a long time before you can make slow images in a fast time like this.”
Harbers himself puts it very nicely: “My images are reminiscent of machines, but they are not machines that speed up our lives, but rather slow them down. And… it takes a long time before you can make slow images in a fast time like this.”
3 Media items ᛫ 0 Available artworks
0 Shows ᛫ 0 Highlights ᛫ 0 Recommendations
Sigrid Calon's abstract riso prints are always very interesting graphically. It is difficult to choose when you see a whole wall covered with her work. I have two prints in the living room at home. Never thought I could look at a pink dot and a green tent shape for that long. You will soon start to relate personally to these abstract shapes that often seem to float. Sigrid is a master in the riso print technique, but her woven wall panels and the patterns in her latest book also show how much her design language continues to develop. Her work makes you aware of the shapes and symbols in your personal everyday environment and encourages contemplation.