In relation to Tom Claassen's big show at Museum Beelden aan Zee in Scheveningen, we present an online show with a selection of works.
Tom Claassen's sculptures evoke memories of ancient primitive culture. As prototypical primal symbols, they refer to higher and mysterious forces in their simplicity. Their abstract character makes them quickly recognisable and much loved. In this, the artist's compact figures resemble the stacked ibexes in the world-famous monument Stonehenge, a stone structure dating back to the Early Stone Age, or to the Govan Hogsback stones from Glasgow. But also the amorphous Boli figures from the African Bamana culture - when looking at them - come to my mind. The works from Mail (19th-20th century) consisting of wood and clay appeal for their simplicity and their strength. It has been suggested that the disparate elements that make up the Boli symbolise the different parts of the universe.
Text: Hester Alberdingk Thijm