Going back in time: Daniel Gould’s 3D List, Art in Amsterdam #84

The Amsterdam art market, for 2015, is proving to be fickle. On that last list---with all the RED DOTS, it looked like a case of measles. This list doesn't look so good.

3D should explain the RED DOTS. I review only the openings at galleries. Sometimes I arrive as the doors are being opened. Sometimes at the end of the reception. Sometimes there are three or more RED DOTS in the first 15 minutes. That's gets my attention (N.B. I only list RED DOTS if there are more than three). So, it is possible that a show with three RED DOTS, in the first fifteen minutes, may have five, six or more at the end. The point is, RED DOTS mean that there is attention being paid to the artist and his/her work. I think that is worth noting; it is also a buying motivation. 

INDEX: 

Bits & Pieces:

Museum Reviews: Amsterdam Museum: The Iron Age 

                                Amsterdam Stadsarchief: Cor Jaring, (1936-2013)

                                                                           100 Bijenkorf' Posters, 145 Years

                                "huis marseille:" And the Cor Jaring story continues

                                "foam:" Three new exhibitions showing four photographers*

                                 * "foam:"  Added on the16th April, Carel Willink (1900-1983)

What You Have Missed:

BITS & PIECES:  

Going to New York? Check out this article in the www.inyt.com (17th April) "50 New York Galleries to See This Weekend," in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. 
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Momo Okabe is the winner of the Foam Paul Huff Award, 2015. She "won the prize for her project Dildo and Bible in which she explored her relationship with two of her transgender lovers during their transition." The prize is 20,000 euro and an exhibition at "foam" from 28th August to 25th October, 2015. 100 photographers, from 26 countries, were nominated. 
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This is an interesting tid-bit which goes along ways in helping to explain the dire straights the Dutch economy finds itself. "The number of Japanese tourist visiting Amsterdam in the first two months of this year has plunged 42% compared to 2008, while American tourist numbers are down 35%. 'This is a group tourist  who spend a lot,'" a city official reported. Perhaps that explains why "visits to museums are down 21% while other attractions report a 27% fall-off in visitors numbers." Combine these stats with the government's austerity program and you KNOW why the economy is struggling to make a come back. www.DutchNews.nl, 28th February 
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Marian Abramovic, one of Amsterdam's adopted artistic daughters, has written her memoir. It will be published in the fall of 2016, by Crown Archetype. It will chronicle her childhood as well as her evolution as an artist. 
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Check this out. It is a special supplement to the Sat/Sun (14th-15th March)  edition of the www.inyt.com titled ART FOR TOMORROW. Included in the eight page insert are articles on art, design and architecture. Two articles of interest to those in Amsterdam are: "In the Netherlands a boom in shoes," by Chirstopher F. Schuetze; and "Free at Last, free at last," by Nina Segal.she discussed the confusion over Piet Mondrian's copyrights; he falls into two categories, European and USofA copyright laws which differ. 
*
Other recent articles at www.inyt.com include, "Secrets hidden behind years of dust," By David Belcher who writes about the cleaning/restoration of Jackson Pollock's first drip painting, "Alchemy." (16thMarch).
*
Also, "Resetting the limits of çontemporary'", by Ginanne Brownell Mitic who discusses Marisa Darasauath (b. 1972), a Laotian contemporary artist. (14th March).
*
"A journey of ideas," Palho Karasz writes "it is an exhibition [that] charts [the] origins of abstraction, starting with a simple black square." That's the Black Square "that was first exhibited in Petrograd, in 1915, by Kazimir Malevich. It is a London exhibition featuring 100 modern and contemporary artists and at the Whitechapel Gallery until 6th March. (14th March.)
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3D reported in the previous posting about a photograph that had sold for $6.5 million. It was by an Australian named Peter Lik. The name didn't ring a bell and I didn't take time to investigate. However, an article appeared some weeks later at www.inyt.com (23rd Feb) titled "Selling prints, and printing money," by Daniel Segal. It was a revelation! Lik is 55 years old and has and his "studio" is in Las Vegas. "He has sold $440 million worth of prints...in 15 galleries in the USA that he owns and that sell his work. Nearly every Peter Lik photograph is printed in a 'limited edition' of 995; the first print sells for $4,000 with the price rising as the edition sells out." The Phantom, that sold for $6.5 million---a recent work---crushed the previous record held by Andreas Gursky, whose "Rhein II" fetched $4.3 million at an auction in 2011. Note: "Phantom," an unique photo, was offered privately to "his most ardent collectors." Other interesting facts: He is autodidact and with no studies in photography. His interest in art is zilch. Hmmm...Maybe that's the secret.
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"Elegance is the only beauty that never fades," said Audrey Hepburn. Yes, and it applies to both people and objects. 
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An old joke says that the European view of hell is the cooks are British, the lovers Swiss and the mechanics French. Hmmmm. Ponder on that!
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MUSEUM REVIEWS:

Amsterdam Museum: The Iron Age: 1800-1900

In 1763, James Watts, an English inventor, harnessed steam and applied it to machines. It was, perhaps, the single most important discovery since man learn to make and use fire.It would change everything in society by creating mass production, mass consumption and mass culture. It would indirectly inspired Karl Marx to write Das Kapital which warned that the "industrial age" would enslave people as much as feudalism.

The Dutch were paying attention. Dutch inventors and entrepreneurs would quickly adapt the new technology---and social ideas---and more times than not improve on both. 

The Netherlands had had a stagnant economy every since the 17th century Golden Age. Cities were in disrepair; city dwellers were leaving for the country-side to work in the agricultural segment of the economy. The entrepreneurs and government built railroads, roads and canals. And an interesting side note is that the railways brought standardized time to the country. Before the railroads, each town set its own clock. Things really got started around `1835, but advancements would not be in full-swing until the last half of the 19th century. in the 1840s, the poet Hendrik Tollenssaid of the developing age: "Today, iron is as essential to our needs as air, water and fire." 

One of the first major uses of steam power was in the textile industry. Ironically, it started on farms before the building of factories. But once the seed was sowed things moved along quickly; one factory that was built for this purpose was 1.5 km long. Some of these private companies built homes and parks for their employees. The people flocked to work in them. 

This is the background to the amazing story as told by the Amsterdam Museum's The Iron Age exhibition. The first gallery hangs 25 overlarge b/w and sepia prints showing train wrecks, a factory for the fabrication of locomotives, as well as train stations under construction and the bridges the would unify both by rail and road way the country as a whole. 

The following gallery has a timeline printed on two walls that traces the industrial and technological milestones from Watts steam engine to the Wright Brothers epic air plane flight in 1903. In the third gallery, you will see scale models of steam operated machines and as motors for locomotive. one cuts the machine down the middle and you have a view of its inner parts. Also, on display, are paintings, prints, photos and pastel drawings showing factories---both interior and exterior. There is even an example of one of the first time clocks. 

As to the social aspects of the age one gallery devotes its space by reviewing the Catholic-Protestant situation. The Reformation had put the Catholic church in an inferior position for practicing to their congregations. In 1798, the Dutch constitution ""declared all faiths and their adherents shall be treated equally." But the core fabric was slow to change and the Protestants were "still the elite with power money, and public life." In 185, the government would give the Catholics additional rights. In 1850, only 2.5% of the population---all men---had voting rights. By 1919, all adult men and women could cast a vote. 

The show end with the topics: Nationalism/Globalization. It focuses on the late 19th century culture environment, tourism and sports. Check out the travel posters covering one wall plus; there is an English poster that promotes the railway schedule for the Orient Express.

You will see early bikes---the film shows early models in action---and a collection of 20 caps with which each represents a different occupation/profession. 

...And the art! Lots and lots of pictures in all techniques feature what the artists of the day made of theses new developments. Three outstanding and very large G.H. Breitner's are hanging illustrating  the new Amsterdam under construction. 

This is a very big show with several hundred art works and objects defining The Iron Age displayed. A great show for teenagers because it graphically chronicles the Dutch turn-around which would greatly influence the 10th century and continues to influence. 

While you are there, check out the restaurant and the "exhibition" that is hanging from the ceiling. You will see a bike "rescued" from the depths of a canal to the wheel clamps for cars and other relevant objects pertaining to life in Amsterdam. 

Until 2nd August. 

N.B. There is a 13-part series on the Industrial Age, by NTR/VPRO, which begins on the 3rd of April (NP02). In Dutch only. Also, a catalog has been published by Uitgeverij Walburgpers and curated by Kees Zandvliet and the NTR/VPRO presenter Hans Goedkoop.
  
www.amsterdammuseum.nl 
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Amsterdam Stadsarchief: Cor Jaring (1936-2013) 

The title of the Cor Jaring exhibition is Magisch Centrum Amsterdam, 1965-1975 (Amsterdam, the Magical City). Indeed it was a magical period of the western cultural heritage and Amsterdam was at the forefront. Fortunately, too, there were several young and talented photographers who were of the streets recording it all. And there was much to document. 

"In the 60s, Amsterdam was where it was all 'hap-hap-happening.' the sleepy Netherlands was rudely awakened by the provocative play actions of Amsterdam' youth...From Provo to flower power. From sexual liberation  to the Butterfly Opera..." Jaring was an eye witness with the lens of his camera. 

Ironically, the exhibition opens with five color photographs. He generally worked in black and white. 
The series shows a medical student, Bart Huges, drilling a whole in his forehead (see the liner notes for the back story). Jaring was the only one present to witness the event. Whether it really took place---photographs can lie---has not been determined. However the photos got the world press attention for both participants. This rather gruesome display of blood is followed by b/w photos of "A group of artists organizing a happening 'Stoned on the street. (Jan., 1965)'" There are heavy on contrast and dramatic. 

In May 1965, the Provo movement hit the streets in full force. He captured the action in both b/w and color. These works show a strong and spontaneous journalistic quality. He was present at most of the protest demonstrations. Some feature Princess Beatrix when she became engaged to a German; as well as construction workers' riot. You will see "portraits" of the individual participants. 

It should be noted that what you may see will shock you. The police, at that time, tended to be aggressive. This had to do with the fact that many, on the force, at that time,  had been trained, as young recruits, by the Nazis when they occupied the Netherlands in World War II. They were trained at Schalhagen, located in the east of Holland under the direction of former SS members. 

The summer of 1967 has been designated as the "summer of love." Vondel Park was the Mecca for "flower power" and the latter took a cultural control of the city of Amsterdam. Two years later, he was at the Hilton Hotel (30/3-69)  to capture John Lennon and Yoko Onno "in bed for peace."We see Phil Bloom, a female artist, shockingly nude on national TV. Even Frank Zappa makes an appearance. Jaring seems to have captured all the Amsterdam characters and visiting characters of the time in their theatrical paint and sometimes their war paint with clothes on and clothes off. 

The shows comes to an end with an array of color photos of "scenes" from the Butterfly Opera. they are satirical and funny, not to mention, absolutely stunning. There are also two small "tents" in which you can sit and watch a slide show of his work. 

Again, this show is limited to a short period of time. However, it was indeed an historic period. You will learn from it and be amazed.Children, especially those in their teens, will find it surprising that so much of this happened when their parents were still children. 

He left his immense photo achieves to Amsterdam Stadsarchief. Look for the De Groene Amsterdammer, a 20 pages magazine (Dutch only) which offers an overview of the show and the times. All liner notes are in both Dutch and English. 

A book titled, Cor was hier (in Dutch) is available and collated by Sander Troelstra, 280 pages, hardcover, published by Uitgeverij Hannibal @ 30,50 euro. 

Until 12th July, 2015. 

Gemeente Amsterdam Stadsarchief, Vijzelstraat 32. https://bit.ly/1WeP2EC 
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...And the Cor Jaring story continues at "huis marseille museum for photography" (Keizersgracht 401). And this is not a continuation of the Amsterdam Stadsarchiefs exhibition. That focused on a seminal period of Amsterdam history, the decade between 1965-1975 when everything was a "hap-hap-happening." This show at "huis marseille you might call the rest of the story. It is a completely different take and its emphasis is on Jaring the Photographer. 

In the first gallery we see a series of b/w industrial scenes and each is beautiful in their contrast. Three other photos and in color feature Gypsies. A small gallery room takes in a personal view of the man with four self portraits and four pages of a hand written letter to Willy, his life long partner. In the ornate 17th gallery room hang six b/w over sized nudes; Jaring poses them in unique ways which differ from the banal nude photos so often seen. 

"The girl is not a girl" is a series consisting of photos from a visit to Japan. Be sure to read the liner notes on the wall. Cor tells a funny story surrounding his experience when he became "enamoured [with] an Oriental beauty." All-in-all,  it is a very good overview of the society from the streets to the kitchen of a restaurant to a Japanese man in suit and tie swinging from a children's swing; a fish market on the harbor; a automobile show, et al. Another gallery features cityscape's of Tokyo. And there is a series of 11 colored photos that picture a stripper going through her act, piece-by-piece. 

The show ends with a series of shots of Cor, by Sander Troelstra, in his atelier, during 2013, when he was 77 years old. He is gaunt, just a wisp of his former self. In the early 2000s he had had open heart surgery, a triple by pass operation, but he never gave up his nicotine addiction nor his love for the brewers' art. he went out his way and in-style. 

In the museum's attic there is a collection of personal memorabilia consisting of letters to Willy, one if his camer''s a Leica (21 mm); magazines/newspapers and photos of him in his youth. A wonderful ending for a remarkable retrospective show of one of Amsterdam's premier photographers.

(FOOTNOTE: A personal observation. During the 80s, 3D published Amsterdam TODAY, a going out and cultural overview of Amsterdam. My art reviewer suggested doing an article of a photographers show at the Fudor Museum (now the home for "foam") titled "A Hundred People by Cor Jarring." That was my introduction to the man and his work. 

But knowing him was to experience a sometimes cantankerous and abrupt person. Flash forward to December, 2001, and an opening, for him, at the Amsterdam Museum (nee: Amsterdam Historical Museum). I was doing a film documentary on the Amsterdám' cultural scene and asked if he would answer one question, for me, on-camera. He reluctantly agreed. His answer, however, lead to another question. He looked at me with a scowl on his face and replied, "You said one question!" and walked away. 

Until 28th June. www.huismarseille.nl 
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100 Bijnenkorf Posters, 145 Years

Also, at the Amsterdam Archieves, there is a very special exhibition of 100 posters that were designed for The Bijnenkorf over its 145 year history. The poster' collection is managed by the Stadsarchief which houses a total of 50,000 pieces from the department store. The posters were used for the store's windows and in-store displays. Posters were also designed for special events which ranged from Sinter Klaus to art. The designers were the "famous and lesser known designers:" Wim Strijbosch, Theo Stradmann, Anthon Beeks, Otto Treumann and Benno Premsela.  

 In 1947, Willem Sandberg, the Director of the Stedelijk, at the time, was asked to assist the store in starting their art collection. In 1949, Karle Appel, Constant and Corneille were on display in the furniture department with the first COBRA exhibition in the Netherlands. Check out the liner notes. The exhibition is divided into categories like: The Festive Season, Fashion and Home & Lifestyle, et al. Don't miss the short film program on a flat screen TV. You will see young men making wooden animals that would be displayed in the Christmas windows and more. Unfortunately, because of the fragility of the posters---the cheapest paper was used---what you will see are reproductions. But, it is a very good overview of a particular segment of 20th century graphic art design and FREE. The show is displayed in the lobby of the building. Until 24th May. 
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"foam," Four Photographers

Geert Goiris (BE) makes the banal something special. Very special. Two over sized b/w prints (2.5 m x 180 cms), one of the thistles on a dying dandelion and that of a palm tree, are amazing works. Even monumental. A landscape with tornado-like clouds is phenomenal. A center piece in the exhibit is a crow against two anguish looking people. It is like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's film Birds. A huge photo (4+ m x 3.5 m) is representational but also a true abstraction and a show stopper. A slide show of mostly b/w photos is outstanding. Most shots are against snowy background. Expect all forms of imagery from a stormy sky to the stars of the universe. Hmmm...3D used a lot of superlatives. Well, it is that kind of show. Until 24th May
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Adam Broomberg (SAF) and Oliver Chanarin (UK) present views of West Africa. They purposely used film stock from the 60s. They say of their work that it is "To photograph the details of a Dark Horse in low light [and] is an exhibition of historic deconstruction." Some of the work is interactive like the b/w portrait of two African warriors but if you pull a tab, at the bottom, you see two self portraits of the artists. Cool! "No Bullshit: Boycott Polaroid" is a series of 37 Polaroids taken with a very special model of the camera. The ID-2 Polaroid was a camera able to capture two separate images on one print. In the hands of the photographers we see representational conceptual imagery. In another gallery, there are 162 b/w photos of African men and women in traditional dress with a few self portraits included of the two artists. On the opposite wall are eight b/w photos and each overlap another. Call them conceptual collages. Until 3rd June

In "the library" is the work of Regina Peterson (Ger) who was selected as the Unseen International Photographic Fair as "the most promising photographer" of the fair. This show focuses on meteorites that have fallen to earth; but specially one that fell on the state of Alabama (USA). There is a timeline featuring material related to the particular incident: Letters, court documents, newspaper article, et al. Until 3rd May 
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We all know Carel Willink (1900-1983) as a painter with an unusual style that has been described as "magical realism" and "imaginary realism." But he also did photography. It was more for his own amusement and as "notes" for his paintings. His flat was on the Ruysdaelstraat---which his widow, Sylvia, still occupies. It is on the top floor of the building and its windows look out over the Rijksmuseum and Museumplein. From that angle he would photograph the Dutch skyand in shocking b/w. Shocking because the results defy a simple description.We see, in this series---the focus of the exhibition---a moody and dark side of the imagery; but there is also the monumental. And the light! That almost undefinable aspect of the Dutch sky. Even during the worst weather the sky makes its statement with the continuing nuances of black, gray and brilliant whites...all at the same time. A liner note says: "His cloud pictures served as a major source of inspiration" for his paintings. Until 14th June.

Keizersgracht 609, www.foam.nl 
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WHAT YOU HAVE MISSED...but there may still be time...

(New postings, 16th April)

Hofland Gallery (Bilderdijkstraat 165) hangs the paintings of Dimitar Genchev (Bulgaria). He is a contemporary representational artists. However, with that said, he pays homage to the 19th century academic style of painting; and there is a nod at the Impressionist, as well as, the Pointillist in a subtle way. He sees the perspective in ways similar to what the photographer does. An example is a large still-life showing a crowded work table but, in the foreground, we see a coffee mug that is out of proportion and visually blurred because the artist has focused---like a camera's lens---on the background. Other works feature representations of women. The paintings have a dark and moody feel even with the colors. No price list FOUR RED DOTS Until 18th April http://gerhardhofland.com/en/ 
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...And when you are at the above mentioned space, ask about the Weiner Wall and you will be directed to a back door of the gallery. Showing there is Hadassah Emmerich. She has mounted a 5+ meter by 180 cms., abstract painting dominated by circles, ovals and much color. But, of course, the composition isn't all that simple. Several nuances create a real variety of tension points. There is even a bit of typography included. For the opening, and on another wall, there were four b/w abstracts each of which has a visual rhythm as different shades of black and grays interject themselves. Until 30th May. 
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This is Matthew Day Jackson's third solo exhibition at GRIMM (Frans Halstraat 26). He has a dark side which comes through both symbolically and visually. Sometimes the work is in monochromatic black; and at other times it is symbolic or actualized. A series of three have both the same theme and imagery developed around a TIME magazine cover which has the headline: "Cult of Death." One piece, in the series, is an elaborately carved wooden relief and includes the headline; but it is a rainbow of colors. There are skulls an skeletons. Some of the imagery expresses the grimness of death and some the joy. Certainly not a show for everyone, but his style and technique just might win you over. No price list. Until 30th May.  www.grimmgallery.com 
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There is a group show of eight artists exhibiting at ORNIS.A Gallery (Hazenstraat 11). Mirjam Jacob does three figurative illustrations, in blue, on three walls which "frames" 23 drawings of nudes and also in blue. Her style is unusual...Julius Hofmann does strange and unusual portraits looking more like participants of a freak show and with lots of color...Other artists: Marliz Frendken, Hans Lemmen, Yuri Rodekin, Duncan Hannah, Jan Knap and Marco Den Breems. The works on display are all drawings made from pencil, crayon, ink, acrylic and a few collages. (450, 800, 1,900 to 3,700 euro). Until 2nd May. www.ornisagallery.com 
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"galerie wouter van leeuwen" (Hazenstraat 27) hangs photos, in two series, by Michael Wolf with a theme for each. There is the b/w contrast and shadows series showing sides of buildings with shadows of trees against the building's walls. Nice imagery. Another series show roofs of buildings with emphasis on their chimney stacks. The work is on color, but there really isn't much. (38x50 cms., archival pigment pint, Ed 7 @ 4,100; 100x140 cms., C-print, Ed 9 @ 9,900 euro)  Until 9th May. www.woutervanleeuwen.com 
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FONTANA GALLERY (Lauriergracht 11)  shows Frans Beerens who introduces a new technique and style to both photography and the art of the tapestry. He photographs are landscapes---generally---and in b/w He develops the negative, prints an analogue photo on basyt paper which is then digitally scanned. "A computer-driven weaving machine at the Textile Museum in Tilburg reproduces the image...with different materials like silk, linen and wool." With this technology it "is possible to make textiles out of 420 tones of gray." The results are stunning. (Each image available in two sizes: 85x130 cms., photo/textile, Ed 3 @ 4,500 euro; 150x225 cms., photo/textile, Ed 2 @ 9000 euro). Until 30th May. www.fontanagallery.com 
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Bastien Aubry and Dimitri Broquard (Swiss) are showing at Martin van Zomeren Galerie (Hazenstraat 20) with painted and enameled porcelain. They digitally transfer the imagery onto ceramic "cereal boxes." (45x25 cms., painted enameled porcelain, digital ceramic transfer # 3,000 euro)...Also showing is Jean-Baptiste Maitre (France) who "re-use[s] the formal vocabulary of neon signs. And they are colorful. (45x70x5 cms., glazed ceramic, latex paint, on metal Ed 2 @ 2,500 euro)...In addition ther is the work of Juliaan Andeweg (NL), Tom Humpherey (UK),  and Navid Nuur(Iran/NL). Until 16th May www.gmvz.com 
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At Percipi (Rozenstraat 227) there are two artists exhibiting. Leen Kaldenberg (NL) is a conceptual artist, loosely speaking. Some works can be described as landscapes. Very subtle landscapes. The colors tend to be subdued as well. But the final results produces captivating imagery. A couple feature a series of redundant parallel brush strokes in various shades of a specific color. (28x22 cms., tempera on linen @ 900 euro; 25x60 cms., tempera on linen @ 1,700 euro; 150x130 cms., tempera on linen @ 5,600 euro) ....Elise Le Pair (NL) is a conceptual minimalist. In addition, her work tends towards the monochromatic. Three small pieces are all black, but there is an internal form and the ambient light illuminates the form, its angles and depth. Two other works are monochromatic white....well, almost. There is, in each, a horizontal bar across the middle portion that is made from clear silicon. (20x20x1.5 cms., oil on panel @ 400 euro; 50x50x1.5 cms., lacquer on panel @ 950 euro; 150x55x2 cms., silicon on panel @ 1,650 euro) Until 10th May.  https://bit.ly/2xrBKhW 
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Jakup Ferri (Kosovo) is at "andriesse & eyck" (Leliegracht 47) with attention getting hand stitched and embroidered tapestries. And they are very colorful. The imagery is reminiscent of folk art. Some have humor or an almost tongue-in-cheek style. Others seems nearly surreal. You will be enthralled with a the labor required to make these works. Ferri does detailed sketches then commissions craft people---in Kosovo---to execute them. One work employed five people and took five months of effort. It is a color chart with geometric overtones. Exceptional piece. (100x148 cms., embroidery & crochet @ 3,500 euro; 163x196 cms., handwoven @ 4,500 euro; 209x290 cms., handwoven wool @ 6,500 euro)  Until 16th May. www.andriesse-eyck.com 
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The MINI Gallery (Kinkerstraat 12) shows three artists all working in b/w. And the contrast between the artists comes not only from the absence of any color, but from each artist's interpretation of the geometric/abstract. Louis Reith (NL) takes old books, maps and photos and abstracts them by superimposing with geometric symbols. He thus crates a sharp juxtaposition. He also makes a collage of forms fitted like a puzzle from wood. (27x37 cms., ink on found book page @ 580 euro; 70x100 cms., soil on wood @ 1,500 euro)...Mattew Craven (USA)  has an ethnographic basis. You will see icon imagery from ancient Greece and also Africa. He places the representational against strong and assertive geometric patterns; sort of reminiscent of the OP School of the 60s. (All at 24x32 cms., collage and ink on paper @ 650 euro)...Martina Merlini (Italy) is a conceptualist doing geometric/abstract mixed media work. There is a continuous rhythm in the imagery, but, like a song's rhythm, there is also an interruption from the melody. (33.5x49 cms., enamel, wax, spray paint and acrylic on wood @ 1,100 euro; 53x80 cms., enamel, wax, acrylic on wood @ 2,100 euro). FIVE RED DOTS at opening. Until 9th May. www.minigalerie.nl 
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Popel Coumou (NL) has an interesting and unusual technique. She makes two collage, photographs each and superimposes them on a light box then makes a final photograph. The imagery is De Stijl and especially Piet Mondrian and Van de Leck. Conceptual, simple/minimal and all very elegant. A few works are back lit and the effect is so subtle that it is nearly not noticeable. At TORCH (Lauriergracht 94). (47.5x70 & 87x130 cms., same photo, each in an edition of 5 @ 1,250 and 2,500 euro) Until 9th May. www.torchgallery.com 
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At BORZO (Keizersgracht 515) is a show for Theo Kuijpers featuring his paintings and gouaches. He is a conceptual geometric/abstract artist making gouache/washes and painting/collages. If you can imagine enlarging several snow crystals and connecting them into a pattern, of sorts, you will have a rough idea of his gouaches. The paintings feature collage material that looks like plastic tubing that is painted over. The "forms" are like abstract symbols. A few are monochromatic. Then there are paintings with many colors and a style reminiscent of the 50s-60s. (29x40 cms., mixed media on paper @ 1,700 euro; 40x30 cms., oil/wash on canvas @ 2,350 euro; 160x120 cms., oil collage on canvas @ 9,000 euro) Until 25th April. https://bit.ly/2maQxaC 
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What 3D likes about Gertjan Scholte-Albers is that he continues to do the same thing but always with a new and different twist. One work, in his present show at the MORREN Gallery (Prinsrngracht 572), that exemplifies the fact is about four meters long. And like all his work there are a lot of trees of various colors: green to purple. He is indeed a colorist. There are a couple of water ponds in which the view is compounded  with the reflection of the background. Another work is with infinite shades of green with three brown tree trunks; and, another, is in infinite shades of red and pinks. Gorgeous! His brush strokes are  reminiscent of both the Impressionist and Expressionist schools. He says his three major influences are: Karel Appel, Jackson Pollock and Piet Mondrian. Checkout the video in the small back gallery and watch him work in plein aire during the winter. (80x100 cms., oil on linen @2,600 euro; about 400x100 cms., oil on linen @ 6,000 euro).

Juane Xue (Japan) paints tables crowded with glasses empty, half full and filled to the brim. There is a melancholy sense to the scenes since it appears that the party is over. No people are present. She plays with perspective in several imaginative ways. Good colors made with broad brush strokes; and there is a good feel for light. (90x70 cms.,oil on canvas @ 4,800 euro; 120x150 cms., oil on canvas @ 7,500 euro) Until 12th May. www.morrengalleries.nl 
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SLEWE (Kerkstraat 105) is exhibiting the work of Jerry Zeniuk who is a  colorist that uses the common circle as his focal point. Basically, you will see nearly a complete color chart in every work. The "circle" is a free hand representational/interpretation and sometimes a circle is in one color or two and has an added nuance of a surrounding halo of color. He does small and big. Very big! Even the small canvases illustrate 100 or more circles. His color balance, in each composition, is amazing. (50x50 cms., oil on linen @ 9,500 euro; 60x60 cms., oil on linen @ 11,500 euro; 280x400 cms., oil on linen @ 70,000 euro)  Until 2nd May. www.slewe.nl 
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...And just a hop, skip and jump down the Kerkstrat, @ #129, is BMB with Carla Rump who has a delightfully different style and technique for making her art. Rump sculpts in wood but once the form is established she paints. The painting is sometimes a backdrop to the sculptured segment. The are large works and two that emulate, but in an unique way, the huge Easter Island monumental heads. Their faces don't look towards us but are pointed towards the sky. One work is a sculpted eye with a river of tears emanating from it. It has a lot of color, too. Some works are wooden reliefs. A couple are done on wood pallets; the type used to ship things. (50x60 cms., oil on pallet @ 500 euro; 100x22x26 cms., oak @ 1,200 euro; 118 cms., high, oak @ 2,500 euro) THREE RED DOTS. Until 18th April. www.galeriebmb.nl 
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Korean Contemporary: Fusion comes to Galerie Ron Mandos (Prisnegracht 282 ) which is exhibiting four Korean artists...and what a show it is: Neon, paintings, sculpture, photography, video and an installation. It doesn't get any more comprehensive. Jung Lee's work meets you at the entrance with a one meter plus pile of white lighted neon spelling out works like "love," "me," "take," "soul," et al. She continues the neon influence into her photography. The outdoor scenes are shot at dusk which allows us to make out the landscape; there are neon signs, in each, with sentences like, "How can you do this to me?" (100x125 cms., C-print diasec, framed, Ed 5 @ 8,500 euro; 175x131 cms., C-print diasec, framed Ed. 5 @ 15,000).
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Ji Eun Kim appears to do just about everything. And, not wanting to sound sexist, she does "manly" types of work with imagery to match. Her installation will get your immediate attention when you enter the gallery. It is on the far back wall and about four meters long and three meters plus, high. It features a nearly full-size painted rendering of a bulldozer in the process of building a pile of debris. But the debris---while looking like debris---isn't your run-of-the-mill debris. Wow! That's a lot of debris and, indeed, that's what you get, but some of it has been "decorated" and/or painted. Then there are a couple of wall-mounted arrays of colored aluminium arranged like stacked shipping containers. Several bamboo skewered monumental forms decorate a wall with about six standing 350 cms., plus high and stretched across a four meters space. (91.5x91.5 cms., self adhesive vinyl on aluminium sheets @ 1,800 euro; bamboo skewers, twist ties @ 12,000 euro; 162x260 cms., mixed media @ 18,000 euro). 
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Jiyen Lee is a photographer, well, that's a little about what she actually does. The principle behind her work is conceptual redundancy. She takes a spool of 35 mm exposures and arranges them diagonally parallel to each other. She repeats the process several times. One work is especially captivating; and  she describes it as a "simple channel video." Again, spools of 35 mm film arranged in geometric patterns forming a variety of different shapes  and back lit. Then, it gets fun! It is animated---the video part---and you see what looks like people riding a roller coaster. Fascinating to watch. (T.I.M.E., single channel video, Full HD, 63 seconds, Ed 5 @ 5,000 euro; 300x200 cms., Digital photo collage, pigment print, Ed 5 @ 17,500 euro).
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Wonkun Jun is the only man in the show and he paints. A few works are monochromatic. Another series feature conceptual redundant parallel lines of acrylic paint on canvas. There are also works featuring circles of different colors and sizes and each, while appearing to be monochromatic, they are not; and there is depth. (30x26 cms., acrylic on canvas @ 1,000 euro; 65x50 cms., acrylic on canvas @ 2,700 euro; 130x105 acrylic on canvas @ 6,000 euro). Until 1st May. www.ronmandos.nl 
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Tatjan Totorovic (Serbia)  is showing exclusively b/w photographs at the Italian Institute (Keizersgracht 564). While confined to b/w, as far as technique goes, there are no limitations on the variety of styles she specializes in. Generally, she is known for her dramatic and introspective portrait' photos. However, this is only a sidelight in this show. 3D describes her other styles as conceptual photography. There are examples of motion photography, out-of-focus works and highly focused. The subject matter is of little importance. The scenes are as she see things and not necessarily as they are. Until 26th March. www.italiaitalia.nl   
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(Original posting) 

WALLS (Prinsengracht 737) has a group show ranging from drawings, paintings to objects and ceramic work. Jen Mann(Canada) paints women in a portrait style. But figurative representation isn't what it is all about. It's the color and/or colors. And she features them in many ways. (120x90 cms., oil on linen @ 5,500 euro)...Nootje Zijlstra mounts bird's wings and intertwines the heads of two ducks. Well, you gotta see it...Like taxidermy avant garde (28x58 cms., @ 675 euro)....Hans van Bentem does porcelain figurative bust and generally with a bare skull. (17x20x71 cms., @ 5,500 euro) Anke Feuchtenberger makes charcoal drawings on canvas. the work is representational with side effects. Sometimes! (76x77 cms., charcoal @ 2,800 euro)...Studio Their & van Daalen works with glass and mirrors to make lights, tables and objects. Each distinctive and/or elegant. The works are in editions....Check out the "Sander Dekker Toilet." Three walls are lined with b/w photos. Nearly all all pretty ladies posing in a risque posture and with some there is an erotic touch...You won't be able to get off the pot. Kid you not! Until 10th May. https://bit.ly/2LRAexM 
*** 
Qlick Editions---whose reason d'etre is to break affordable art to the middle class market place---once again shows that a outstanding work of art need not cost an arm and leg. Ellen Jantzen (USA) does color photography that fits into the category of motion photography...Almost! Almost, because the nuances of the motion factor as so very subtle that you can nearly overlook it. This series of landscapes is the result of a road trip from St.Louis to LA and back again---nearly 6,000 miles all the way. She shot the pictures from a car traveling at about 120 km.h. But the blur comes from PhotoShop. As to the subject mater being the American landscape it is more than that. In fact, it is irrelevant! Several seem more abstract than representational. And, one, Oklahoma, steals the show. There is an Edward Hopper feel to it. Perhaps it is the melancholy factor that one experiences from Hopper's Early Sunday Morning. And, like Hopper, her work is very American. And the prices? Its doesn't get any better: 60x45 cms., C-print, Ed 10 @ 450 euro. Until __?__  www.qlickeditions.com 
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REUTEN GALERIE (Prinsengracht 510) features paintings by Andrea Radai who looks at the dark side of life. The very dark! Heavy on the black; string b/w contrast and the imagery close of subliminal. Mysterious! Haunting! Two works use a wooded area as subject matter and captured at winter. Basically, his works become abstractions. There are also 54 A4 portraits of children both in b/w and color and in an almost hidden location in the gallery. (50x40 cms.,oil on linen @ 1,450 euro; 150x200 cms., oil on linen @ 7,000 euro) Until 12th April....Miloushka Bokma presents a video installation. Several people---men and women---interact in a conceptual dance-like performance. Everyone is dressed in black. the installation is "framed" with photos that are portrait-like and in color. (Cycles, video, Ed 3 # 3,500 euro). Until 21st March at Reuten; and you can also see it at EYE Film Museum between the 11th and 15th March. https://www.reutengalerie.com/ 
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The second you enter Galerie M v Zomeren (Hazenstraat 20) an odor attracts your attention. And it is an unattractive smell. In fact, it stinks! And it is the art work. No, it isn't the imagery nor execution that stinks but the "paint" that covers the paper. Well, the simple explanation is that the "pigmentation" is from persimmons and oysters on Kozo Washi which is a handmade Japanese paper. On one wall a work measures 915 cms.long by 350 cms., high. It is almost monochromatic: ochre and earthy colors. Opposite there is a smaller version. In the middle of the space there is an object about 150 cms., high of ruffled paper that appears to be tie-dyed blue. About 20 wood mallet-like pieces compliment the work. There are two artists listed on the website. However, at the opening, I couldn't find any info as to whether Adam Avikainen and Kaki Kuchi work as a team or individually. The website wasn't any help in clarifying the issue. (1,200 to 18,000 euro). Until 4th April. www.gmvz.com 
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...Directly next door at le Plafond (Hazenstraat 28) there is more persimmon' juice flowing---is this a new movement? The work of Vincent Vulsma (NL)  is conceptual, minimal and monochromatic "rust." Maybe 3D will let the press release explain the pieces: "the grit in the stencils is based on patterns from which compressed digital images are composed. In computer technology these patterns are applied in a process known as ordered dithering, a repro-graphic digital imagine technology, which stimulates images with a continuous tonality." Hmmmm....Whatever! More importantly they are nice to look at! (30.5x42.5 cms., katagami stencil, mulberry paper, lacquer made from persimmon juice. Ed 2 @ 1,500 euro)  Until 4th April. www.leplafond.weebly.com 
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Hans Lemmern is at ORNIS A. GALLERY (Hazenstraat 11)  with unusual imagery, unusual technique, unusual perspective and strange work. He works with pencil and black ink/wash/. there is a representational factor, but it is basically irrelevant and sometimes the subject matter becomes a touch surreal. There are also five color drawings which  look like they were made by a six year old. Nice! A 200+ cms., figurative sculpture---where a man is doffing his head and not his hat---is decorated by handwritten typography. Nice! (All at 900 euro, except for the headless man). Until 11th April. www.ornisagallery.com 
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The French artist Kriki is exhibiting at RIZE GALLERY. Do you like color? How about a busy, very busy composition? Or something that is ironic, satirical and tongue-in-cheek humor all in one piece? Yes? Well, Kriki does it! The imagery is figurative, representational, geometric/abstract, playful, surreal---what has 3D left out? Oh, yeah, the Pop School meets graffiti art. Intriguing work. (100x100 cms., oil on canvas @ 11,000 euro; 130x162 cms., oil on canvas @ 15,000 euro; 200x280 cms., oil on canvas @ 35,000 euro) Until 1st April www.rizegallery.com 
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Stigter van Doesburg (Elandstraat 90) presents a group show of five artists. Brendan Heshka (USofA) hangs 22 small geometrical shaped composite wood paintings. All are monochromatic and in different pastel colors. (15x15 cms., Ed 7 @ 3,500 euro)...Marius Lut (NL) is also in gorgeous black monochromatic works that are on glass. Describe the pieces as oddly shaped objects under glass. (spray paint on glass @ 2,900 euro)...Elise van Mourik (NL) uses metal folding chairs as a bases for conceptual work. One is labeled "REALLY." Another has been literally shot with what looks like .45 mm bullets 12 times. (48x85x50 cms., metal @ 1,500 euro)...Daniel van Straalen (NL) makes silkscreens on cotton. The imagery is reminiscent of Jim Dine's series of three bathrobes. In this case, it's T-shirts. All are b/w and shades of gray. But the imagery is segmented. One is with typography. (180x120 cms., silkscreen on cotton @ 4,000 euro). In the small back gallery is a holdover exhibition for Laurence Aëgerter photographs of a French Cathedral. Until 4th April. www.stigtervandoesburg.com 
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Arno Mertens is at APPELS Gallery (Brouwergracht 151?) with work that is both retro and up-to-date. A few on display have a 60s psychedelic feel and a few others reflect Bram Bogart's style of laying it on thick. Very thick. Yet, other works are purely expressionistic: Strong and assertive colors. One work stands out perhaps because it is so subtle in its balance of red/black with nuances of blue/green blots. A catalog of his work is available. (12x15 cms., oil @ 400 euro; 50x180 cms., acrylic/oil @ 3,100 euro; 170x130 cms., acrylic/oil, liquin @ 4,000 euro) Until 22nd March. www.appelsgallery.nl 
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De Witte Voet (Kerkstraat 135) presents a group show featuring four Japanese ceramic artists. Jassu Kaneko's work is a unique style and technique. Some works are lime a scroll and the surface is often decorated with an array of lacquered-like colors. Other works are more simple and yet elegant in their simplicity. check out his recent work of "ceramics under glass."(750 to 3,300 euro)...Satori Hoshing gets his thumbs into his work.Literally! he builds vases (15 to 50 cms., high) in irregular layers couching his thumbs deep into the soft clay. Some are monochromatic black and others with color. (1,000 to 2,000 euro)...Yasuhisa Kohyama maintains a simple but monumental style/theme with geometric shapes with sharp corners. (1,600 to 4,700 euro). Masayuki Inoue makes ceramic wall hangings in shades of gray. Simple designs that captivate. (1,000 euro)  Until 26th April. http://www.galeriedewittevoet.nl/
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Castrum Peregrini (Herengracht 401) is hanging the paintings of Wolfgang Ebert (NL, 1927) who combines his unique painting technique in portraying the inmates of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. As to his technique, it is an updating of the Pointillist. And at first you see an abstraction of color executed with short brush strokes of solid color pigments. But, slowly, figurative imagery emerges from the canvas. People who are anonymous because in life they were  individually anonymous, but grouped as one in the end as Jews on their way to extermination. 
Until 22nd., March. (N.B. There is a finissage at 15:00, 22nd., March) www.castrumperegrini.org 
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Showing at Galerie Fons Welters (Bloemstraat 140) are two artists. In the PlayStation section is Albert Goederond borrows from a retro technique of burning a design into wood and updates with with added colors. The imagery is geometric/abstract. And some are conceptual. One features several alpha symbols; another looks like the Pop School meets graffiti. Something for everyone! (32x28x0.8 cms., photography, acrylic, multiplex; 76x76x0.4 cms., same tech @ 3,500 euro)...In the big space, Taocheng Wang (China) has installed an array of five flat screen TVs.  You take a tour of Dutch villages, the country side and a walk along the sea. Some feature historical photos and others capture the landscape from an aeroplane or a satellite. A six metre long and 50 cms., wide scroll of rice paper is Chinese inspired in both imagery and technique. (Videos, 8 to 11:30 minutes duration, Ed. 5 @ 2,500 euro; 6mx 50 cms., scroll, glass, pedestal @ 4,500 euro.) Until 25th April. www.fonswelters.nl 
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Rento Brattinga Galerie (Lauriergracht 80) presents Fons Haagman's new work from 2013-2014. In a sense this is a "road show." And it is an all American affair; and an homage to its music, especially that of the 50s though a couple reflect the 70s like "Kiss" and The Ramones."  "Lonely and Blue" pays homage to Roy Orbison; The Man in black, Johnny Cash, are both there. But that's getting ahead of the story. What stands-out more than the iconic imagery is Haagman's very simple, minimalistic style. His technique is that of an expressionist: Strong and assertive brush strokes. And he maintains the minimalism when it comes to color. It is easy to look at this work and see it as figurative abstraction. (90x70 cms.,litho, Ed. 22 @ 485 euro; paintings from 5,500 to 10,750 euro.) Until 18th April. www.rentobrattinga.com 
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Peter Zegveld is exhibiting at LUMEN TRAVO (Lijnbaansgracht 314) and he is impossible to put into any one category. In this show there is video, sculpture, kinetic art, drawing/wash, objects and collages. When! The video is on a screen the size of a tablet and on a small platform attached to the wall. There is a toy chair facing the screen. You will see several "dancing chairs." Kid you not! Unfortunately, I could hear no music. You want nose? There are tiny figurative pieces attached to an aerosol can; press the button and you get nose. Lots of nose! And the man shakes rattles and rolls. Large drawing/washes on paper are monumental. And there's more...And he has much humor. (240 to 5,000 euro) Until 11th April. www.lumentravo.nl 
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...And at AKINCI, just a few steps away, is the work of Adrian Melis (Cuba). He is, basically, a conceptual artist working with photography and video. Of the latter, there are five examples on display. The duration times are from 3:17 to 10:20 minutes. There are 20 digital photographs that feature what appear to be decaying buildings, interiors or roadways/sidewalks. According to the press release they are a documentary of illegal activities, "They document the theft of material from buildings or warehouses that are under construction. Each image is completed with a note that specifies the quantity and typology of the subtracted material." (Video, Ed., 10 @ 2,500 euro; 20 prints, Ed 3 @ 4,500 euro.)  Until 11th April www.akinci.nl
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When 3D shows visitors Amsterdam I explain that as to the canals circling the center they see only a third of the elegance existing from the Golden Age. What they miss are the interiors of the Herenhuis and their elaborate gardens. I, myself, over the years, have visited several of these exemplary locations because the spaces are now museums or businesses/foundations that hang art. The following illustrates how you too can take advantage of such opportunities to enjoy and marvel at art, design, architecture and the landscape art. 

At Museum het Grachtenhuis (Herengracht 386) is an exhibition, curated by the Eduard Planting Gallery, for the Italian photographer, Silvio Zangarini, who currently is living in the Netherlands. The title of the show is, "Stunning Staircases;" and that's just what you get. He has searched out nine locations that feature an exceptionally designed and an elaborately built staircase. What makes this show exceptional is how Zangarini captures them through the lens of his camera. In some, you see the dynamics of the design. In others, the spiralling steps appear almost like an Escher' print; there are surreal elements, too. 

...And there is more...Look for the small gallery overlooking the garden. You will see seven 19th century pastoral paintings covering the wall surfaces. In one corner there is a touch-screen video which explains the history of the room. Another touch screen, in the opposite corner, explains the origins of the garden. You get three "exhibition" with one visit. Until 21st June. For more info check these sites: www.museumofthecanals.comwww.eduardplanting.comwww.silviozangarini.com 
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Baukje Spaltro is showing at the Dikkers & Thijs Art Gallery/Restaurant  (Prinsengracht 444). 3D firs viewed her work about 20 plus years ago. I liked her simple forms and colors. Especially, the colors. Therehave been more exhibitions over the years and a slow evolution in both style and imagery. This present show is another step in her evolution. Presently, she melds the simple figurative with abstract background giving each work a conceptual feel.  The colors are still there but sometimes more subdued than previously. "Incanto"harks back to her earlier styles but updated. It is clearly representational but features perspective elements as well; here is a hint of the Pointillist style, oo. The colors are a blend of pastel shades that ranges from soft pinks to several shades of green. Another gallery room hangs small acrylic/tempera works. Some are conceptual representations including the figurative; some abstract. (24x30 cms., @ 350, 480, 900 and 1,800 euro; 85x75 cms., acrylic @ 2,000 euro; 65x200 cms., acrylic @ 4,100 euro.)  Until15th June. www.spaltro.nlhttps://bit.ly/2QSVjI5 
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At Rob Lang Gallery (Laurierstraat 82) is he work of Pietro Peronne (IT) who does figurative and landscapes. He is also a minimalist. Not only in the imagery, but also the colors. On series of eight small oils are winter scenes with blue/green skies as a backdrop to the whiteness of the snow. A woman in profile could be a contemporary interpretation of Whistler's Mother (nee: Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1, 1871), by James McNeill Whistler. His brush strokes resemble that of an expressionist, quick, deliberate and vague. 
(31.5x32.5 cms., oil oncanvas @ 600 euro; 70x50 cms., oil on canvas @ 1,100 euro) Until 17th April. www.ronlangart.com
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Gallery Vassie (Keizersgracht 82) presents the work of Jason Oddy (UK) who shoots in color using several artistic photographic styles: Realistic, geometric, parrellism, conceptual redundancy and interior design. These style are observed with scenes of the UN Assembly Room and architecture in Algeria and Brazil, et al. He says he expresses himself by establishing "geometric rhythms." No two work are the same. (40x50 cms., Ed 15 @ 1,400 euro; 75x100 cms., Ed 10 @ 2,500 euro; 100x125 cms., Ed 10 @ 4,950 euro) Until 2nd May. www.galleryvassie.com 
***

And there you have it! Spring is here.the weather is mild and the art is as bright as infinite shades of green painting bushes, tree and other foilage. A great time to be out on the streets and headed for a gallery. There are hints the the economy might, just might, be improving. What more encouragement do you need to buy a work of art? Hey, make my day!!!

Photo Cor Jaring in Huis Marseille

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