herman de vries - harvest
'harvest' is the second solo exhibition by contemporary Dutch Master herman de vries at the gallery, and will feature new works from the "collected" type of work, together with earth rubbings in various sizes. These works, that are directly based on reality and nature, open up the mind of the viewer, and are aesthetically pleasing in their soft and minimalist simplicity.
Nul
In 1960, herman de vries, together with Armando and Henk Peeters, founded the magazine nul=0, which was of importance for the Zero Group in the Netherlands.
He bases his work during this period on probability and coincidence tables, which allows him as an artist to have as little influence on the work as possible.
Works by herman de vries from this period, so-called "random objectivations", will be part of every museum group exhibition about the (international) Zero Movement (Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Guggenheim New York, etc...). Other members of the Nul Group are Jan Schoonhoven and Jan Henderikse.
Throughout his further career, herman de vries will always maintain this zero attitude.
herman de vries: biography
herman de vries (° Alkmaar 1931) is a contemporary visual artist from the Netherlands. His work addresses the problematic relationship between humans and nature, by showing the enormous diversity and change in the most direct way possible. Repetition, variation, change and coincidence result in a very poetic oeuvre that is worth exploring.
Steigerwald
From 1970 onwards, de vries settled with his wife suzanne in the Steigerwald, Germany, far away from the Dutch art scene.
The forest will become his studio, where he takes long walks every day in search of material with which he can work. A dead piece of wood. Grasses. Leaves and other material from the forest floor. Natural charcoal that he finds after natural forest fires or after the ritual celebration of the solstice...
He will alternate his quiet existence in the forest with many long, adventurous journeys to all corners of the world. He brings earth to rub and collect in his earth museum and earth catalogue. Herbs, shells, stones, plants from all over the world will also have their place in the work of de vries.
Venice Biennale 2015
In 2015, herman de vries represents the Netherlands at the Venice Biennale with the exhibition to be all ways to be. The work has been critically acclaimed internationally.
In the Rietveld Pavilion, visitors were shown a cross-section of de vries's practice. A complete wall with earth rubbings. A large installation with sickles. rosa damascena, a fragrance of thousands of rose buds. A journal of 122 panels made in the lagoon of Venice. Stone sculptures. And the book Flora Incorporata in which all the plants that the artist has ever taken are listed.
He also wrote texts on the island of Lazzaretto Vecchio, a former plague colony, and designated a part of this island as a sanctuary, where nature can have free reign without human intervention.