Armando was one of the most influential post-war artists. With many talents, he was active as a writer, visual artist, musician and theater maker. In the 1960s he was part of the follow-up to the CoBra movement: De Nul-groep (The Zero-group).
As a boy, Armando grew up near the concentration camp in Amersfoort. This experience shaped him as a person, writer and visual artist. In his works you can see the events of the war; Evil waving flags, ladders to freedom, battlefields, original landscapes. Later in life, Armando started to show color again, he also became milder and had processed the events.
Armando, however, was not in the habit of explaining his work, but to anyone who asked questions himself, he referred to the novel 'De straat en het struikgewas'. According to him, the missing answers lay in the background. This novel is the essence of his literary work, and perhaps even of his entire oeuvre. 'De straat en het struikgewas' first appeared in 1988 and became one of the most cited World War II stories. Thinking about themes such as guilt and enmity are strongly influenced by Armando's work. Perhaps today the novel is more topical than ever before. That is why Christian Ouwens Galerie will republish 'De straat en het struikgewas'. This time expanded with texts by Özcan Akyol (Eus, writer and presenter) and Bertram Mourits (Head of Collections, Literature Museum).
In light of this reissue, the exhibition 'De straat en het struikgewas' will be opened by Christian Ouwens Galerie. Discover Armando's poignant paintings, beautiful sculptures and expressive language. How did a boy experience wartime? How did he look back on this as an adult? What did the world look like through Armando's eyes?