Going back in time: Daniel Gould’s 3D List, Art in Amsterdam #69

A thousand apologizes. First, this list has been delayed more than two weeks. Twice, as I was just putting the finishing touches to it, all disappeared. TWICE! I nearly quit. Then there was that viral email that went out to the 3D' mailing list six times. Finally shut it down. My server and I have worked out the problems---I hope.

As you read the reviews you will note the absence of references to RED DOTS. They, at a gallery, signify that the work has been sold. There is only one surprise. I asked  the gallerist if he was using a gun or black mail? 

But the economy is BAD. I have perhaps gone into that subject at too great a length...But, hey, folks, austerity SUCKS. It is not aiding anyone. It is destroying infrastructure in the cultural world and killing sales at the galleries. 

Time for a new government!
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INDEX:

Bits & Pieces:

Museum Review: Tassen/Bags Museum

What You Have Missed: 

BITS & PIECES:

Well, I compile this list at the Stad Archieves. They have just introduced new keyboards. Unfortunately, their is a flaw in their design. It is so bad that unless I find another location where I can do the list I may cease doing it. Some of the problems are small. Okay, I can handle that. However, the major one is that as I type I hit a key or combination of keys and I loose everything. This list would have been completed a few weeks ago if it had not happened. I started from the beginning, then, on 9th April, had intended to finish it and it happened again. I have tried everything to  restore the text but nothing works. What I am saying is that I will make one more try...
(19th April, so far so good.)
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Ernst Voss newest initiative is organizing an exhibition which wants contemporary artists to interpret the Great War, 1914-1918. This year, in June, it will be one hundred years since Europe began that long and demoralizing escapade. We know much about its cruelty because of the artists, writers and poets who were there and bore witness first hand. For more info reply to: ww1@europeanartistsfestival.com
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On Saturday, the 13th April, the opening day for the public to the renovated Rijks Museum, there was a line from the museum's entrance to the Albery Heijn at Van Baerlestraat. Well, entrance was FREE...Also, the same day, there was a one page announcement in the Int Herald Tribune, in color, to promote the reopening and included "We Thank Our Benefactors" list. The background photo was a small section from The Night Watch...In a few weeks, 3D will review the renovation.
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"Female Pioneers of the Bauhaus,"  by Alice Rawsthorn discusses an exhibition that focuses on works of the women, of the movement, and how them were held back by regulating what it was they studied. (www.iht.com, 25th March)
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The Science and Non-duality Conference (SAND) will hold its second annual program, at Doorn, from 28th May to 2nd June. "This year's theme is 'The Science & Mystery of Perception'...Over 80 preeminent scientist, philosophers, spiritual teachers and mystics" will participate. More info at: https://www.scienceandnonduality.com/europe/ 
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Amsterdammers have naturally employed the convenience of the bicycle for over 100 years. 3D has not had an automobile in over 20 years because the Amsterdam city officials decided it was time to clamp down on "creative parking."  I started to collect parking tickets. I got the message. Now, there are an estimated 880,000 bikes in the city, "You use to be able to park in front of your door. Now people know that if they go to the city, they should park elsewhere," said Jeannie van Pinktcrew. She got that right. In the center---as well as other neighborhoods---there is a sign or decal which tells you that it is forbidden to park your bike. And that includes shops along the small side streets and including the Kalverstraat that forbid it. So what's the story? What are we to do? 
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"The Dutch consumer price index is currently around 3.2% its highest level in 10 years. In 2011, the Dutch inflation rate was one of the lowest in Europe" (www.DutchNews.com) ...And,  unemployment is at 7.7%, TNT will cut 4,000 jobs. (March's figures are now in and unemployment is at 8.1%, "Never before have so many people been out of work in the Netherlands.")...And this from www.iht.com, 3rd April, "Unemployment has reached 12% in the euro zone. Spending cuts and tax increases are feeding off each other. It's a bit of a vicious circle." said Mark Cliffe, chief economist at ING Group, he added, "Europe is pursuing a policy that is self-evidently failing."...And the Dutch parliament continues to play the fiddle to the tune of: Give austerity a chance. 

Five years ago, when this current economy was in its infant stage, I remarked to a gallerist that it would take two years to return to what it had been. He said, "No! Five years." I recently pointed this out to him and said that, at the time, I thought he was wrong, but he was both right and wrong because we are not back from where we began. Now, he says, two more years. I replied, "I blame it on this right wing government and their austerity mantra."  His answer to that was, "What they are doing is right!" Well, I least I know of one person that is responsible for the present parliament. 

13th/April: FLASH: Parliament, at last, sees the writing on the wall..."The Cabinet's decision to postpone new austerity measures in order to boost the jobs market came in for considerable criticism...with opposition parties accusing the government of failure to take full responsibility." (www.DutchNews.nl

Right on! And I might add, they are only suspending the measure. We need stimulus. This latest move is like putting a band aid on a hole in the dike. It may slow the flow, but it's just a matter of time....

Lodewijk Asscher, social affairs minister, said, "The Dutch economy will have to grow an extra 1% between 2013-2014 to head off the threat of extra austerity measures. Huh? Isn't that akin to a dog trying to catch its tail?

Sybrand Buma, leader of CDA, says that the Prime minister Mark-the-Shark is "putting the onus for the recovery on the man in the street...If they do not buy enough cars, houses and clothes over the next few months, then they will have to pick up the bill in the form of extra cuts...That is not what you should do if you want to restore confidence." True or not? See next paragraph...

Here is an example of the effects of austerity on a segment of the society. For the last few years, 3D has given tours to high schools students from Amsterdam and other cities in Holland. Generally, I have four to five in the spring and a like number during the fall. This year I have had but one reservation for spring...And, last week, it was canceled, "It turns out that so many kids 
(parents of) of our VW04 classes failed to pay for this year's field trip that we had to cancel the whole trip to Amsterdam." Signed, GM. That not only means a loss of revenue for me, but the bus that would have been rented, the driver, the lunches, etc. In other words, the middle class element of the society. 

When I walked into my neighborhood laundry mat---located in Amsterdam-East---last Monday, it was empty. All ten machines were lined up with nothing to do. I asked the proprietor what was wrong? "The economy!" Never thought dirty laundry would be effected by a recession.

However, the opposition parties are finally beginning to speak up. A "RTL commentator Frits Wester, describes the current debate as 'chaotic...I have the impression we are watching an amateur theatre group and that would be a better standard than this.'" (www.DutchNews.com, 17th April)

On the other side of the ocean, Obama has fought against spending cuts and fed money into the economy with a stimulus plan. American unemployment has fell from 10.4% in 2008 to 7.4% today. Jacob J Lew, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, said, "The U.S. economy has expanded for 14 consecutive quarters...[And] private sectors has added jobs for 37 straight months. Automobile sales continue to rise with both GM and Chrysler's showing excellent profits; both companies were saved by the stimulus package. Are you reading this Mark-the-Shark?
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Obesity? "What's the major cause of a nation's obesity rate?...Quite simply, the higher the percentage of the county's residents who cook, the fewer of them who are obese."  Lesson: Forget those prepared meals that glare at you at AH, Lydl, Dirk vd Brooke...Not only will you save money, but you'll live a longer and happier life. Quote from a review for the book: Cooked: A Natural history of Transformation, by Michael Pollan, Penguin Press, reviewed at: www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/cooked-a-natural-history 
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"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again, Fail Again. Fail better."  Samuel Beckett, Worstward Ho
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Andy Warhol said, "Art is what you can get away with!" 
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"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."  Henry David Thoreau.
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Something lighter?...Laser 3.14 says, "He drilled a hole in his head so he could 'breathe' again." at Kerkstraat 257. And "A head full of nitroglycerin," at the old Film Museum, Vondel Park. Did I say lighter?
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...And this was seen written on a Stedelijk cloth bag: "The time of art is irrevocably over."  Hmmmm.
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MUSEUM REVIEW: Tassen Museum's Exhibition of School Bags. 

A museum exhibition is more than a visual experience, it is also an educational one. The nice part is that the education is almost effortless. All you got to do is to read the paragraph of liner notes and you walk away as an expert. This show is no exception.

During the 17th century, Dutch students made use of wooden school "bags" which doubled as a writing desk---there were no school desks. These bags were often handed done from parent to child. Some were decorated with paintings or carved designs. "Bags from Zeeland were often made of oak...Bags from Joure, in Friesland, show depictions such as wind mills, a little boat or a man on horseback."  They measured about 40x25 cm to slightly larger. They would be used well into the 19th century. 

The leather school bag was introduced around 1870 and came into general use around the turn of the century when desk were first introduced and compulsory education went into effect (1901). The next big jumped occurred only recently with the introduction of the rucksacks by the fashion house Prada, in 1985. But, soon, other bag makers did their own versions and in cheaper models which became an "overwhelming success." 

On display are rucksacks that are decorated with religious symbols, in honor of a TV show like 90210, Beverly Hills, not to mention Disney characters, Snoopy, polka dots and guns. Others have become a canvas for graffiti art. 

The show concludes with this observation, "The introduction of digital schoolbags on tablet computers has made it  unnecessary to carry a school bag any longer. In the future the school bag may actually disappear entirely."  Until 12th September. Herengracht 573 www.tassenmuseum.nl 
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WHAT YOU HAVE MISSED...But there still may be time...

Qlick Editions (Gerard Doustraat 134) is a gallery which will celebrate its first anniversary in a few weeks. It specializes in bringing relatively inexpensive prints of photographs to the market place. The perfect gallery for a beginner in art collecting. The current show is for Maarten Rots who searches flea markets for old discarded photographic slides. With them, he creates a new story by overlapping a couple of the slides. The resulting imagery is often disconcerting. You sense something is out of place, but the montage composition is so perfectly melded you are not sure what it is. (120x80 cm. C-print diasec  Ed. 25 @ 1,199 euro)...Sarolta Ban (Hungary)  does b/w photographic montages that have much humor like the chimpanzee holding a trumpet and sitting on a chair; a boat on a large industrial spring with a heron perched at its stern; or a man"walking" a tree, roots and all. Kid you not! He digitally constructs each photo using 50 to 100 layers. Time consuming to say the least. (100x100 cm. Injet dibond Ed. 20 @ 800 euro)  Until 8th June. www.qlickeditions.com 
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How to explain this exhibition? Royal Steez was at WALLS (Prinsengracht 737), on Easter Sunday, with one sculptured self-portrait in an edition of four. They were sculpt heads and made of high quality chocolate. At the opening, which was a two day affair, a hammer and chisel was provided so one could hack away at one of the heads and eat the residue. The artist pointed out that the chocolate is "fair trade" and "no child labor" was incorporated. Each head weighed about two to three kg and each was priced at 2,500 euro. It was like eating caviar. www.royalsteez.com 
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Christian de Laubadere (France/China) work makes you think he is Chinese; he is not, but has lived there for the last nine years. The reason you think he is Chinese is because of the subject matter and the style. One entering the hall way to the Circle Gallery space (Kerkstraat 60) there are a series of large photographs of Chinese ceramic work. Each photo is a montage of different elaborately decorated plates and in various states of condition: whole, chipped, or a big shard. In the main room are six large drawings/collages. All feature women but seen only from the back. The focus is on their elaborate hair do like pigtails weaved into geometric designs. The basic imagery is b/w, however the collage part consist of finely designed fabrics like those worn for formal occasions by Chinese women. A large mixed media work features a map of Amsterdam. He created it using a time consuming technique. He began with an old colored map of the city's center and enhanced it with color drawings of individual buildings. Nice! (All work mixed media: 100x150 cm. @ 4,000 euro; 150x200 cm. @ 15,000 euro; 73x152 cm. @ 10,000 euro; 100x220 cm. @ 12,000 euro) Until ___?___ www.circlegallery.nl 
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Alex Crieger (German) is at Amstel Art Gallery (Stadhoudeerskade 155) with an unique style of photography. 3D went up and asked him, "Are you the photographer?" He replied, "No! I am an artist!"  Well put. One of his photographs hanging comprises about 200 "sections" melded together into one composition. You will see JFK standing in front of a vague Cadillac-like 60s automobile. The simple Kennedy image is a composition of three elements. The work is all b/w and some with sepia overtones. Everything is an illusion even that which is easily identifiable. Bobby Kennedy and Jack face off each other during the Cuban Crisis in a room space that could have been designed by a contemporary interior designer. One work is a Homage to Alexander McQueen, the late fashion guru, and is the most elaborate work in the show. Five figures---four are women---an alligator, pigeons, etc are in an ornate room, worthy of Versailles, and has a surreal quality. (120x160 cm museum canvas, Ed 5 @ 7,800 euro) Until 17th May. www.amstelgallery.com 
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Steendrukkerij Amsterdam (Lauriersgracht 80) has two artists who pay homage to the style of Francis Bacon. Hans van Wetering does it with 3D-ceramic pieces. The forms you see are almost definable as, perhaps, a pig or maybe a dog. In other words, each work could be an abstraction. It is all in the way you want to see it. There are small nuances in the forms as well. One thing is for sure, if you display any one of the pieces, in your home, you will have a real conversational object. (6,000 to 12,000 euro)...Ge-Karel van der Sterren paintings balances nicely with the ceramic work. His work is figurative, representational and expressionistic. You always know what you are looking at but that's beside the point. The work is all about color and the relation of color to other colors. The form is only the medium to convey it. There is a series of 12 small paintings on composite board shards. And each personifies his vague perception of the figurative. The series title, Tricky Rock, captures a rock climber scaling a granite-like wall. You must look hard to see the tiny figure, but it is always there. (Tricky Rock, various sixes @ 500 to 1,800 euro; 36x104 cm. @ 4,160 euro). Until 1st June. www.steendrukkerij.com 
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...And just a short walk down the canal and it's Eelco Brand at TORCH (Lauriergracht 94) with a very difficult exhibition to put into words. It is both photography stills and time lapsed/animated photographs. You will see a plant go from bud to a complete tomato-like object that will fall from the vine. In another, you watch trees seemingly doing a dance routine; then there is a tree that revolves. They are all back lit images. In two, it is a walk through the woods...And it is done convincingly. The still photographs are just as mesmerizing. Cool work!. (3,500 to 20,000 euro) Until 18th May. www.torchgallery.com 
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Daniel Bodner (USodA/NL)  titles his show CROSSINGS at Galerie R. Katwijk (Lange Leidedwarsstraat 198). And it is very accurate. We see a series of drawings and paintings---sometimes three representations of the same scene---of people crossing at a New York street corner. Each work is the result of what 3D assumes is a process: photograph, oil drawing on paper, oil painting on small canvas; and the final big canvas. One example of this is in number 10, 13 and 18. Both #13 and #10 are vertical images of a crossing and #18 is, the big work, and the scene is done horizontally. While the work is representational there are both the elements of impressionism and expressionism. (50x31 cm. oil on paper @ 1,800 euro; 60x42 cm. oil on linen @ 3,700 euro; 120x150 oil on linen @ 9,000 euro) Until 26th May. www.galerierogerkatwijk.nl 
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Galerie Rob Koudijs (Elandsgracht 12)  shows the new jewelry designs by Sungo Cho (Korean) titled "Abstract Portraits."  Well, yes, there are examples where you may see parts of a face, but what is most interesting is the abstract part. He uses plastic, wood, metal, etc to fashion rings and brooches. They are all complex compositions and certainly attention getting. One work in the show has been purchased by the Stedelijk Museum. (975 to 2,150 euro) 3 RED DOTS...Karen Pontoppodan (Denmark)  makes little "boxes"  from canvas that measures about 3x4x3 cm., plus or minus. The outside of the brooch is raw canvas and the inside of each is painted in pastel colors. There are 100 on display @ 160 euro each. 8 RED DOTSwww.galerierobkoudijs.nl 
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Gallery Gerhard Hofland (Bilderdijkstraat 162)  hangs the unusual paintings of Dimitar Genchev (Bulgaria). The work is unusual for both its style and technique. On show are both large canvases of room interiors and still life's. However, not at all like what you have seen before. There is both a darkness and vagueness to  the representational. His technique makes everything look sort of old. The result is that there is sometimes a sense of melancholy which may be be appropriate since the title of the show is NOSTALGIA. But Genchev has humor too, like the  large chimpanzee that is seen crossing a room. Other aspects turn a still life into an abstraction. Finally, what comes across in each and every work is a mysterious feeling of reality. (60x60 cm. oil on wood @ 1,500 euro; 110x190 cm., oil on canvas @ 3,700 euro; 160x220 cm oil & polyester on canvas @ 4,700 euro.) Until 25th May. www.gerhardhofland.com 
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"smith & visser"  (Noorderdwarsstraat 7)  shows Dick Kreuger who has designed a series of seven posters which hanging together provide a panogramic view of a landscape/harbor. He drawings a bird and horse superimposed over that. (1,2500 euro each section)...Naomi Warmer has both an unusual style and technique. On tracing papers she draws shoes, or hands, or a pair of glasses or just a figure. Over this she pours a resin which crumbles and warps the paper and the composition into a whole new form. (450 to 1,500 euro)  Until 11th May. https://bit.ly/2OVDLt0 
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WITTEVEEN (Konijnenstraat 16)  hangs the drawings of two artists. Roland Sohier does unusual drawings. Unusual not only because of the imagery, but also the technique. First of all, nearly every work features a bunny rabbit---including my man, Bugs. He combines several drawing techniques as well as an engraving technique like hatching. The work is b/w and b/w with colors. He then sets it all off by cutting some of the drawings from the paper and attaching it too a larger sheet of paper which sometimes give the figurative forms surreal appearances. (A3 drw., pencil @ 300 and 400 euro; 100x80 cm pencil, color pencil, paper collage @ 2,000 euro; 241x150 cm charcoal, pastel, collage @ 3,750 euro)...Paul Kleman creates quirky imagery in his drawings which are very colorful. Quirky because they are unexpected, fun, satirical, challenging, and sometimes provocative and you may get all these facets in  one composition. He does what he wants in the way he wants. You will be captivated and sometimes shocked or appalled. And one person that may feel the latter is Anne Goldstein, the new director of the Stedelijk Museum. She is pictured with a bottle Heineken and two ejaculating penises. (39x29 cm drw @ 600 euro; 32.5x45 cm drw @ 1,400 euro; 65x45 cm drw @2,600 euro) Until 27th April. https://bit.ly/2NR0zdF  
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Jan Roeland is back at SLEWE (Kerkstraat 105) for his fifth exhibition. He is a true Dutch minimalist. 3D emphasizes "Dutch" because his linear abstract paintings feature, in several works, tulips. But not just any tulip, please. Each is in the same stylistic form, almost like a logo. He maintains the simplicity of form and focuses on the flowers' colors. If you don't like "flower paintings" don't let this description deter you because your getting a concept and not a bouquet. In years previously, he painted conceptual and geometric ducks and there are a couple hanging in this show. (60x50 cm oil on linen @ 7,750 euro; 80x80 cm oil on linen @ 14,500 euro; 150x150 cm oil on linen @ 28,000 euro)  Until 11th May. www.slewe.nl 
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...And talking about an artist having multiple exhibitions at the same gallery over the years, Ron Bugg (UK) is back at De Witte Voet (Kerkstraat 135) for 10th time. The first show was way back in 1984. He works in two mediums: ceramic and drawing. On paper he draws and creates mono types in b/w with chaotic abstract imagery. A series of 12 b/w pencil drawings are hung together as an irregular montage. His ceramic work is simple: Circular and rectangular forms. He has added color, but it comes across as more organic than intentional. (drawing @ 750 euro; mono type @ 600 euro; ceramic 850-6,000 euro) Until 11th May. www.galeriedewittevoet.nl 
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CIOU is back at KOCHXBOS (1e Anjelierdwarstraat 36) for the nth time. Simply put, CIOU's colors, forms and chaotic compositions are riveting, mysterious and engrossing. It is like the world has been invaded by "pixies;" those mythological beings that just want to have fun. The linear notes on the wall say, she "is inspired by a wondrous mix of music, pin-up, manga, primitive and religious art, art noveau, tattoos, old toys and Mexican culture." The work is in spectacular colors and dramatic b/w. (260 to 390 to 570 to 3,500 euro)  Until 20th April. www.kochxbos.com 
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Katinka Lampe is at RON MANDOS (Prisengracht 282)  with her portraits of young women and men. Her technique appears to be straight forward representation until you look more closely. She uses brush strokes that create a vagueness to the imagery. The way she represents her subjects is with humor and sometimes with a touch of irony. (50x60 cm oil on canvas @ 3,850 euro; 60x65 cm oil on canvas @ 4,375 euro; 160x130 cm oil on canvas @ 9,000 euro)...Michelle Sank hangs photo work. She features young people from the ages of 16 to 20s who have had "body work" like lip fillers, breast augmentation, tattooed eyebrows, liposuction, etc. (40x59 cm. Ed. 5 @ 950 euro). Until 20th April www.ronmandos.nl 
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"The Young Ones" is the title of Galerie Ra's new exhibition and it says it all. Six new jewelry artists/designers are on display:Laura Deakin, Anja Eichler, Jasmin Matzakow, Jie Sun, Silvia Weidenbach and Zindzi Wijminga. This is their second group show at the gallery. The first was shortly after their graduation from an academy. That was their debut into the commercial world. Now they are back after having had practical experience in the real world and with new ideas.Jasmin Matzakow is part termite. She attacks wood like one. She digs away to create organic qualities in these sculptured pieces.... Jie Sun takes simple components and makes them into something that "flies" like a bird...Zindzo Wijminga melts plastic into new and organic forms which are mysterious and often elaborate. (220 to 2,100 euro)  Until 22nd May. www.galerie-ra.nl 
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Galerie FONS WELTERS (Bloemstraat 140)  shows the conceptual objects by Magali Reus. Have you noticed that galleries don't have chairs? The present show, here, there are several seats available, but, well, it is all in the name of art. No Sitting, Please. All are attached to the wall and there are from one to four; some with folded seats, some with plastic coverings. They come in a variety of color nuances and variations like a seat, or seats, is up or down. A video titled "Highly Liquid" is notable for its HD quality in that the water pellets spewing from the shower head are highly definable. This is Reus third solo exhibition at the gallery. (67x50x25 cm. polyester, resin, powder coated paper, clear PVC, cotton @ 5,000 euro; HD video, 2min 53sec, Ed % @ 5,000 euro)  Until 20th April. www.fonswelters.nl 
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At LUMEN TRAVO (Lijnbaansgracht 314) is Monali Meher (India) and she likes red. This color is dominate in nearly every work. In fact, there is a nearly one meter high pile of red yarn topped with artifact-type of plaster pieces all of which relate to the Asian society. She also hangs a series of self-portraits where she is wearing a veil. She enhances each piece by weaving red yarn into abstract and linear designs and sometimes forms like a scorpion. Meher repeats this technique with another series of photographs which focuses on the ceiling of nomadic tents.  The red yarn follows an irregular trail across the imagery. The exhibition is the result of her travels to Pakistan and Thailand. (54x40 cm photograph/digital print, Ed 3 @ 900 euro; 60x40 cm mixed media drawing, digital print on canvas and wood @ 1,700 euro; "wrapped railings, an installation, size is variable, metal and wood @ 3,500 euro). Until 18th May. www.lumentravo.nl 
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...Step out the door and it is a short 10 meter walk to AKINCI (Lijnbaansgracht 318) for the Thomas Huber show. He does geometric abstractions that doesn't get more pure than this. In fact, he often illustrates geometric equations and the primary symbols of geometry like the square, rectangle and triangle. And he puts these forms in a perspective that creates and balances the composition. In a few works he marries figurative with the geometric and cleverly creates a series of perspectives in one composition. You will also see a touch of De Chirico in a few works. Until 18th May. www.akinci.nl 
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Bob Bunck is at LIFE (Lauriergracht 94) with collage work that generally features the nude, especially selected imagery from the first half of the 20th century. However, there are several exceptions. What makes his collage work special is the minimalism. He is most  interested in contrast whether in its imagery or b/w color. One work features a Betty Page-like nude in several different poises with blue and white rose-like flowers super-imposed. A series done on small black chalk boards is engaging. Other materials get your attention as well. To sum it all up, he uses photography imaginatively. (price range: 300, 450, 550, 1,350 and 2,750 euro) Until 4th May. www.lifeamsterdam.nl 
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You're too late for this, but it was an interesting "exhibition." This 3D List should have been posted a few weeks ago, but because twice I lost the content, while putting it together, it has been badly delayed. Pity, because leave it Rob Malasch to do something completely differently and call it art. As many of you know, he was personal acquainted with Andy Warhol who he once quoted as saying, "Art is business." Warhol also said, "Art is what you can get away with." When 3D walked in Rob's gallery (Postjeweg 2)  I saw several rows of book stacks filled with books. They all came from his private collection and included art, photography, visual arts, Americana literature, not to forget T-shirts. He called it an "installation" and everything was "for sale."  Well, almost everything.  3D selected two titles, one was 5 euro and the other FREE. The most expensive was 400 euro and even at that price is was almost a take away. And if you looked in all the nooks and crannies you would have seen art and objects of art. Fun!! Until? It may still be happening. Call: (020) 427.57.70 https://bit.ly/2mrkyDb 
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At Van Krimpen (Hazenstraat 20) are photographs by Richard Hutten. According to my notes: "This is cool work, both imaginative and unique." More about that later. He takes a simple photograph of people on the street and with PhotoShop creates a linear abstract work that's related directly to the colors in the original photo. The result is that it reflects the serendipity of the moment.  As to the "uniqueness" of his work, 3D misspoke. I received, after viewing the show, a newsletter from ARTITLED. It showed the work of Murat German (Turkish)  that is doing something very similar. Hutten extends his color concept horizontally and Germen does it vertically. Until 21st April www.wimvankrimpen.nl 
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Across the street at Galerie W. van Leeuwen is a photographic exhibition for Michael Wolf and documents China without any emphasis except for architectural abstraction and a religious element. There is a series of 16 color photo of apartment blocks and other high rise buildings but we see them in segments which focuses on the linear aspects of floor division, balconies, and a clutter of room air conditioners. On the opposite wall there are 72 photos that features small Buddhist shrines that can be found on street corners or in private flats, even the kitchen. (20x25 cm. archival pigment print, Ed 21 @ 860 euro; 20x25 cm. C-print, Ed 21 @ 580 euro) Until __?__, http://www.woutervanleeuwen.com/  
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Jimmy Robert is at Galerie D. Stigter (Elandstraat 90) with both video and conceptual objects. A simple chair balances two paper rolls, one pink and the other  with a colored photo. Another piece is two rolls of paper standing vertically on the floor, one pink and one white with typography. (21x30 cm. Inkjet print @ 1,800 euro; HD Video, Ed 5 @ 4,000 euro; 90x70x42 cm. Inkjet print, paper roll, beechwood veneer mdf, paint @ 8,000 euro)  Until 11th May. www.dianastigter.nl 
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...And just down the street and you are at VERVERS (Hazenstraat 54) with the work of Dominik Borkowski (Poland). He does "colorful"  b/w paintings. Somehow his mixtures of grays creates a sense of color where there is no color. Cool! As to the style, well, it is a marriage with Jean Dubuffett and the COBRA Group. The imagery is both humorous but with assertive elements. There is one object and you can see it from the window. It is both fun and, in  a sense, an example of what his work is all about. What you see is a hand operated meat grinder. White and black pigments have been feed into it and the cranked out results is like strains of spaghetti in a dark gray color. This is his second solo show at the gallery. (30x30 cm oil on canvas @ 600 euro;55x50 cm oil on canvas @ 1,000 euro; 100x90 cm oil on canvas @ 2,000 euro). Until 15th July,  www.verversgallery.nl 
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A few steps away is Witzenhausen Gallery (Hazenstraat 60)...What a way to run a gallery. It's a group show of six(?) artists. There was no copy of an invitation; nor name tags next to the work. I didn't see the gallerist nor could I pick out an assistant. So this review is only concerned with two artists' who work I know. Pepe Smit is showing two videos. The video screen of one could almost be a visual of newly fallen snow. We see a person---but not their head---pouring tea. It conveys a sense of tranquility and is engrossing in its simplicity...The center of attention, when you enter the space, is a double bed with end tables. Atop the bed are two gorillas; one is reading "Mijn vormen," by Mustafa Stitou. Above them, and on the wall, are three needlepoint works showing flowers. The piece is by Mitsy Groenendijk. Other works in the show are also interesting; two artists doing b/w portraits stands out. No price list visible. Until? Any one's guess. https://bit.ly/2zCqZwM
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...And while we are in the neighborhood, just down the street and around the corner is Galerie Gabriel Rolt with a show for Eva Rader  (Germany). She is a figurative expressionist painter. The figurative element is often subtle and the imagery is something that makes you feel it more than you actually see it. While she is more often than not spontaneous in her colors she does, sometimes, revert to "dark" paintings. The figurative aspect often borders on the naive which does complement the rest of the composition. (40x30 cm oil on linen @ 2,000 euro; 60x50 cm oil on linen @ 3,200) 8 RED DOTS, Until 18th May. www.gabrielrolt.com 
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Looking for something different in photography? Silvio Zangarini (Italy) is at the Italian Institute for Culture(Keizersgracht 564). All his photographs are sites and locations in various cities of Italy. His does exterior and interior scenes. The exterior are all at night. He says he may take as many as 60 photos. Once he has made the prints, he begins to cut from each a section of the square pictured and other sections. The final result is from three to five different sections and photos of the square. He then mounts them and frames them with 30 to 50 mm of space between each. What might have been a banal scene of a tourist attraction becomes a representational geometric abstraction. You tend to focus on the different elements that make for the complete composition. Nice! (90x34 cm @ 1,000 euro; 50x95 cm @ 1,700 euro)  Until 17th May. www.iicamsterdam.esteri.it 
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"annet gelink gallery"  (Laurierstraat 187) shows Ryan Gander (UK) who does marble sculpture, conceptual objects and then there is the spectacular 13 meter long by four+ meter high photo of a man holding a cell phone. One marble piece looks like a piece of furniture that has been covered with fabric to protect it from dust. It's a simple free form which is complex because of the nuances of its folds. A lamp has been fashioned from several objects and is onto itself, there are no derivatives nor anything like it...The Bakery shows Jacqueline Bebb and, well, what to make of it? A small, very small partial "stairway" made up of color wooden sections is featured along with three beer cans, painted black, and each have rabbit ears and duck feet. No price list. Until 18th May. https://bit.ly/2u9Hxa3 
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Several artists are showing at WALLS (Prinsengracht 737) and 3D will spotlight a selection. G. Surgery [sic] does strictly geometric abstraction in b/w. Sometimes old wood is used as the "canvas" and it works nicely. Various techniques are employed to affect the imagery. From the front of the gallery and looking towards the back wall it looks like a large wooden cross-bar installation has been constructed. Surprise!  The back wall is painted with a geometric design and creates an unusual illusion. (20x20 cm @ 370 euro; 150x100 cm @ 3,000 euro; 200x150 cm @ 4,500 euro)...Tamme deBoer paints large canvases that are basically representational expressionism. The imagery is less important than the composition as a whole and the colors make it all come together. (130x195 cm. oil and spray paint on canvas @ 3,900 euro)...Rutger Termohlen is a figurative expressionist with an array of colors that he uses in sometimes spectacular ways. The figurative aspect is like a  mysterious "portrait" or full figure painting. He also has a weird but engrossing b/w pen drawings hanging. They, too, are representational but in strange ways. (42x52 cm. ink, paper @ 350 euro; 80x60 cm. oil on canvas @ 1,5000 euro; 150x135 cm. oil on canvas @ 3,100 euro) Until 19th May. https://bit.ly/2LRAexM 
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Marien Schouten is at Galerie PAUL ANDRIESSE with ceramic work both big and small. The big is really big and monumental in its presentation, like behind "jail bars." The object themselves resemble the iconic statue' heads of Easter Island. Other work is free-form and have an organic feel. The sizes range from 19x12x9 to 98x58x45 cm, but the focus of attention is always on the installation which is 823x270x10 cm. (1,250 to 15,000 euro). Until 27th April. www.paulandriesse.nl 
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BMB (Kerkstraat 129) calls is POPUPPODIUM and features five artists. Sven Robin Nibbelling is a contemporary impressionist using expressionistic brush strokes. There are often naive nuances as in "The London Company."  Expect strong an assertive colors. (50x40 cm. oil on canvas @ 630 euro)...Mirka Farabegoli does drawings and washes that are figurative works but also with a surreal flavor. A b/w piece is both amazingly representational and an abstract. (42x30 cm. mixed media @).S.P.A.M van Griensven is both representational and figurative but with a linear abstract element, comic strip imagery and humor. She interjects several objects that relate to a variety of topics thus creating unique compositions. (30x24 cm oil on linen @ 378 euro; 100x120 cm., oil on linen @ 1,540 euro)....Yvon Trossel works with delicate glass and doesn't ignore the fact when it comes to subject matter. She is focused on the common fruit fly but, of course, it is a 1,000xs larger than the living one. There is inspiration from American carnival glass with all its colors. (glass @ 95 euro)...Kirsten Brunjes does figurative objects from clothe, stoneware, thread, porcelain and leather. The pieces look like small hand-puppets. The imagery is people, mice and even a jackal. Nice! (220 to 480 euro). A small take away booklet is available with details concerning the artists. Until 27th April. https://bit.ly/2nu6PMr 
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At CNCPT13 (Prinsengracht 266) is a ground breaking art exhibition. You have heard about it. Read an article or two, perhaps...And some of you have seen it. What's all the noise about? 3D modeling.  No, 3D has had nothing to do with it. 3D modeling is a "copy" machine that operates from a software program which reproduces objects---stereolithography---by machine using resins/epoxy material. What makes the machine so interesting is its ability to create objects that would be very, very difficult to carve or mold from any other material. And the machine eliminates the time consuming factor.Escher, 70+ years ago, made incredible prints and drawings that defied and laughed at  perspective imagery as we knew it. He defied the logic of structural forms. Today, the 3D printer can reproduce his fantasy concepts in all dimensions. You will see at this exhibition 30 examples from different artists/groups that range from figurative to abstract/conceptual to craft-like work. The highlight of this intriguing show is watching three 3D printers in action. The future of art? Perhaps, but definitely a must see show. Until 2nd June. www.ultimaker.com 
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At Galerie 59 (Eeghenstraat 59) is the geometric abstract drawings of Gerda Kruimer and all are in b/w with shades of gray. There is a strong architectural sense to her work in that it is very structured with the lines interlinked. Her large work has the most b/w-gray nuances and the result creates a perceived depth. (50x60 cm drawing in pencil @ 425 euro; 160x125 cm. drawing in charcoal @ 2,900 euro)...Along with her is Simone van Bakel's ceramic and bronze work and all are wall hangings. They balance perfectly with Kruimer's drawings. The forms are minimal, simple and elegant with a few added surprises like fogged glass with an internal bubble of red. Another work which is monochromatic black stands out. (Glass @ 750 euro: ceramic @ 1,250 & 2,750 euro) Until 28th April. www.sbk.nl
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Daniel Mullen and Harm van den Berg are showing at BRANDT (Prinsengracht 799). Mullen paints architectural-like imagery which is more of an linear abstraction that make the imagery an illusion to the interior of a new office building. He maintains a unified color scheme throughout the various pieces; and also makes use of unpainted canvas to add depth to the compositions. (40x50 cm oil on raw canvas @ 950 euro; 170x200 cm oil on raw canvas @ 3,900 euro)...Van den Berg is the antitheists to Mullen. His very large canvases are expressionistic with only vague imagery. Sometimes you think you see a chair or sometimes what looks like a camp-fire. Good depth and color nuances; your eye is always in motion. (125x180 cm oil on dibond @ 4,900 euro; 230x175 oil on canvas @ 6,550 euro)  Until 28th April. www.galeriebrandt.com 
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At UpStream (Van Ostadstraat 294) is the conceptual work of Noor Nuyten. She creates objects which are generally minimalistic but often meant to make a point which tends to be abstract. A playing card hand of seven cards is attractive because of its geometric abstract form which she cleverly achieves. There is a tape measure which is extended about two meters high and its rigidity is provided by a helium filled balloon. Perhaps the most unusual---if not unique---work is a globe made of ice. Once in the environment, and above the freezing point, the "planet" slowly melts. Hey, just like global warming! Two slide projections are on display and each focuses on typography. (500 to 2,500 euro)Until 20th April. www.upstreamgallery.nl 
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Ronald de Bloeme can be seen---and not easily missed---at PS (Madurastraat 72) with a painting that covers an entire wall. It measures 350x540 cm. It is a geometric abstract with a Scottish-style tilt to it; it looks somewhat like a clan tartan. The colors are about the same: red, yellow and black. Included are bar codes-like linear abstractions that you see on products. (Matt & high gloss lacquer on canvas @ 44,500 euro) Until 12th May. www.psprojectspace.nl 
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It is always good to see a new show for Jeroen Henneman who is at Galerie Clement with paintings, objects and reliefs. Henneman has a knack for always doing the same thing differently...And sometimes very differently. The focus of this exhibition is on his canvas cut-outs. Using a Stanley knife, he cuts the canvas into both representational and linear abstract forms. There are b/w drawings on display which relies on contrast to denote the form. In addition, there are a few sculpture works in metal. (41x26x30 cm. metal @ 2,250 euro; 50x40 cm cut-out @ 3,250 euro; 120x95 cm drawing + collage @ 4,000 euro). Until 27th April. https://bit.ly/2J3VcnE  
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The press release for Remy Jungerman (Dutch/Suriname) now at "C&H art space" (2e Kostverlorenkade 50) quotes an advertisement from the New York Times (1996), "If we didn't tell you it came from the Suriname rain forest you might think it was modern art." Indeed! He works in wood, clothe and adds objects like bottles to these "wall installations" that can be seen as "altar pieces."  But what you see is almost pure De Stijl and especially Piet Mondrian; but also Theo Doesburg and Gerrit Reitveld come to mind. However, what he doesn't do is to emulate Mondrian's minimalism---his works are elaborate---but stays true to his colors and ideas of abstraction. (54x46x17 cm painted wood + cotton @ 2,500 euro; 107x89x4.5 cm. painted wood @ 4,500 euro; 280x180x30 cm. painted wood @ 11,500 euro). Until 11th May. www.ch-artspace.com 
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At Wies Willemsen (Ruysdaelkade 25)  Eva van Dam looks like a hyper-realist at first glance. But it is an illusion and a very good one. Two portraits of Buddhist priest and a large work of a Tibet monk stand out. (30x30 cm. oil on canvas @ 1,150 euro)...Tashi Norbu (Tibet) represents the Buddha in several different ways and forms. One expresses the Buddah conceptually in that the form is made from painted cut-outs that are tulips. This is against a background of Tibetian script/typography. Another is also a collage and relates to Zaandam as well as the Buddah. The work is colorful...The jewelry is best described as new jewelry which means it is made from all sorts of materials: plastic, stone, beads, etc. But how the artist Delores de Jong combines these elements is what makes the work interesting. The pieces range from monochromatic to very colorful. Her forms are imaginative. All the pieces are necklaces and three are very elaborate. (50 to 3,000 euro).  Until ___?__ www.wieswillemsen.nl
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At the Melkweg Gallery (Marnixstraat 407, enter @ Jo's) is an unusual photographic exhibition by Sylvia Heunks. Unusual in that you have a tendency to forget to look at the photos. The reason is because of the liner notes which are in both Dutch and English and attached with the photos on a poster. Each liner note begins with: "In the Netherlands..." This is followed by a message about police, environment, voting, medical, social, etc. Combined with the photos are pithy observations which are revealing and comment on the Dutch society. Until 5th May. www.melkweg.nl 
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Sorry about the delay for posting this list and the confusion of the viral messages sent to "Hans." Let's put it behind us and think, dream and participate in ART. Spring is here! Well, according to the calendar. That means it is easier to get out of your house and do the rounds of Amsterdam's many galleries. It is educational and fun. Kid you not!

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