Art Now

Art Now shows a new work from the EUR art collection every two weeks
Art Now 51 throw-back Celine van den Boorn

Art Now' shows a new work from the EUR art collection every two weeks. Art Now, digitally on the screen, for inspiration, as consolation, imagination, reflection or as a distraction and extender of reality.

Art Now 83: Bernard Schultze

Airy pastel shades

Bernard Schultze N.T., 1963, lithograph, dim. 61 x 43 cm. Art collection EUR

The fascinating work of Bernard Schultze (1915, Poland-2005, Cologne) is based on autobiographical experiences, and centers on beauty, decay, and destruction. During the war years 1939-1945, Schultze was forced to interrupt his academic training and career to serve as a soldier in Russia and Africa. After the war, during which all his artworks were destroyed, he picked up where he left off. His art had its heyday in the second half of the 20th century. Since then, his name has been inseparable from the international success of the German Art Informel movement. Schultze's lyrical work often contains brilliant, sometimes fluorescent colors with which he created non-existent landscapes, languages, and fantastic figures.

Art Now 82: Marian Breedveld

Colourful beams

Marian Breedveld ‘Windstil’, 2007 - silkscreen - Art Collection EUR

Without depicting anything from reality, artist Marian Breedveld (1959) creates a fascinating new reality in her artworks. Although her work explicitly consists of the materiality of paint, the color of paint and the paint stroke, it undeniable evokes landscape associations. The horizontal format of her paintings, the combination of repeated horizontal paint strokes, and the role of light creates the suggestion of horizons. As a result, her works have a spaciousness and radiate a deep warm atmosphere. In the period between 1995 and 1997, Breedveld mainly used earthy colors, created by the many-colored layers she applied on top of each other. In the years that followed, she increasingly turned to pure, bright, and light colors. Breedveld is interested in the differences between colors, the nuances, and the many gradations, as clearly can be seen in the 2007 work of art 'Windstil' shown here. It is one of eight artworks by Marian Breedveld acquired for the EUR Art Collection in 2007, all with the same title.

Art Now 81: Dan Graham

People looking out of a window

Dan Graham untitled (Family in New Highway Restaurant, Jersey City, New Jersey), 1969, photolithography - Image size, 24.3 × 31.3 cm.  EUR Art Collection

This untitled photolithograph (Family at New Highway Restaurant, Jersey City, New Jersey) by artist Dan Graham (1942-2022) is one of six artworks from the 1966 'Homes for America' series. Graham grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey and was averse to what he felt were the pomposities and pretensions of modern art. His roots continued to inspire him throughout his career. In many of Graham's artworks, his fascination with the economic and social framework of art and culture is visible. Here we see a typical 1960s scene with the American style of dress, hair, and furnishings characteristic of the period. It is a double-layered work. We look along with Dan Graham at a period scene he captured in 1967. Meanwhile, we also share the view with the family on their way in the New Highway Restaurant.

'Homes for America' from 1966 is part of the exhibition 'SEEN' - photography from the EUR Art Collection on display at the Erasmus Gallery from 12 February to 24 May 2024.

Art Now 80: Maartje Folkeringa

Art by Maartje Folkeringa, a curved pattern

Maartje Folkeringa ‘Like (swipe) blue-purple-brown (2022),’ EUR Art Collection
Technique: glazed ceramic and metal. Dim.: 'Like' approx: 27x41x6 cm., steel wall shelf: 42,5x11 cm.

Maartje Folkeringa (b. 1978) works from starting points or prompts that she finds in the complicated unwritten rules of contemporary society. She is inspired by verbal and non-verbal communication, self-presentation, and conformism. Today's visual and consumer culture are also recurring sources of inspiration that shape her oeuvre. With the series "Like (swipe)," created in 2022, she gives us a poetic look at ‘liking,’ a gesture and digital form of communication that is part of many people's everyday actions. The series consists of 12 unique objects made of colored ceramics. By using candy colors and pastel shades, Folkeringa enhances the playful and airy nature of the work. In 2022, three Like (swipe)'s from the series were acquired for the EUR Art Collection, including the ‘Like (swipe) blue-purple-brown’ shown here.

Art Now 79: Willem Oorebeek

Art by Oorebeek, a pattern next to stairs

Willem Oorebeek, Ogenblikken, 2015 - black composite panel and an aluminium sandwich panel (270 panels on commission) EUR art collection, spanning all floors of Polak building at campus Woudestein.

Some works of art are immediately identifiable as such; others blend into their surroundings and are not that easily recognized as art. The latter demands more attention of the viewer, and this certainly applies to the artwork 'Ogenblikken’ by artist Willem Oorebeek (1953). The work of art was commissioned by Erasmus University for the multifunctional education building Polak. It was realized in 2015 and consists of two vertical fields that cut through the building along the back walls, and continue over all floors. The vertical fields consist of a mirroring underlay, reflecting all rooms over the entire floor through holes in the structure in front of it. Because the mirrors are fixed in a rotated angle, the reflective space is always experienced differently. The fact that these 'mirror walls' together form a work of art may surprise the visitors and the many students who spend their days in the Polak building. And the fact that their own presence and movements in the building make them temporarily part of the artwork, might too. The best viewpoint to experience the entire artwork is from the opposite staircase on the top floor. Highly recommended!

Art Now 78: Anuli Croon

Art by Anuli Croon, an embrace

Anuli Croon – ‘Tronie & Stad VI’, 2017 – 180x150 cm. - (matte) acrylic + metal acrylic on canvas
Art Collection EUR

Artist Anuli Croon (1964) about her work: ‘I want my work to leave room for multiple interpretations, but I am aware of all the meanings the viewer can give to it. That is why I also want to arrive at a simple and clear picture. Although I don’t use quotes, I am under the influence by everything: ancient and modern art, wrapping paper, architecture, comics, fabrics, clothing, posters… Basically anything that is staged and stylized by people. My figures are not men, not women... I give them individual similarities... such as nose, color, head, pattern, and I give them an environment, but not a specific location. This also applies to the garments. The poses of the figures are precisely because I want to present them convincingly, but do not want to give an unambiguous meaning. I use them as an anchor point for both me and the viewer.’

Art Now 77 Maura Biava (throwback)

Photo of flowers from above

Maura Biava ‘New Frequency_curve’ 2018 - handprint on canson rag on aluminum, 45x45 cm.  EUR Art Collection

‘I feel attracted to the hidden geometries in nature. The lightness of mathematical curves is something wonderful.’ 

 Maura Biava

Art Now 76: Mick La Rock

Abstract shapes

Mick La Rock – untitled, 2023 - Mural sketch - Art Collection EUR

Mick La Rock (Aileen Middel, 1970) is one of Europe's first and best-known female graffiti artists. In the pioneering days of hip hop, when graffiti, rap music and breakdance from New York City were conquering the streets of Europe, she passionately started writing her nickname MICKEY in 1983, only 13 years old.

During the 90s - 00s she worked and lived both in Amsterdam and New York, where she collaborated with some of the most famous graffiti artists and became part of the New York graffiti scene. Her graffiti art evolved from traditional to abstract, influenced by the raw concrete of utopian brutalist architecture of the second half of the last century and typography of the same period. Intrigued by the question, "What does a letter do when it no longer needs to be read?" she alienates the elements of her old graffiti name into abstraction, away from their original essence and composition. Still driven by hip hop, Mick La Rock believes strongly in the philosophy of "Each One Teach One." She became a teacher, lecturer and (museum) curator on the subject of graffiti, but also still travels the world for her graffiti and abstract murals.

As part of Erasmus University's 22nd Lustrum celebration, Mick La Rock created a mural design for the exterior wall of the Exam Centre in S Building on campus Woudestein. The mural, with a cross-sectional size of approximately 10 x 30 meters, can be experienced on location starting November 8.

Art Now 75: Evi Vingerling (throwback)

Blue and salmon spots

Evi Vingerling – Untitled, 2016 – acrylic and gouache on canvas 80 x 100 cm - Art Collection EUR

Artist Evi Vingerling (1979) has made the combination of movement and 'the everyday moment' her working method. She creates her work with a few precise strokes. It is reminiscent of the traditions of China and Japan, where artists, through endless practice, can capture the essence in apparently simple movements. Time and again, moments from Vingerling's daily life form the starting point for her work. The moment is first captured in her head and by means of a few quick snapshots. In the studio the captured moment is transformed into a work of art consisting of rhythm, space, and color.

Art Now 74: Willem Minderman

The 1968 etching seen here most likely shows a fragment of the dunes near Scheveningen. It is an artwork made by Willem Minderman (1910 – 1985). It is known that he often drew in the dunes and had a special permission card for this purpose.

Trees without leaves

Willem Minderman - untitled, 1968, etching, size 27x37 cm - Art Collection EUR

By specializing in working in black and white, for instance in his drawings and etchings, Minderman reached an abundance in possibilities of expression. Especially in his etchings, he managed to transform his expressive skills into a unique artistic style, with which he was able to build a successful oeuvre of a high and balanced level. This work was donated to the EUR Art Collection in 2015, along with 15 other etchings by Minderman.

Art Now 73: Sigrid Calon 2

The work of artist Sigrid Calon (b. 1969) is a constant exploration of composition. She is always looking for new associations and perspectives, whether it is a square meter of fabric or the facade of a building. Calon fuses shapes, colors, and volumes in an atmosphere characteristic of her and combines graphic elements in surprising ways in different materials. Her creative process involves constant research and redefinition.

Squares with a red line

Sigrid Calon - ‘WOVEN GRIDS SC_1’ (nr16), 2022 - Jacquard fabric, wool & trevira on canvas & wooden frame.

(From a series of 40 works measuring 65x65 cm. - Artist Proof /whole series KC EUR).

The monumental installation ’WOVEN GRIDS SC_1’ marks a new phase in the development of Calon's visual language. The series consists of 40 65x65 cm. textile works developed at the TextielLab of the Textielmuseum in Tilburg. The use of Jacquard woven wool creates an extra dimension of structure. The compositions appear relatively simple but have a power that continues to amaze. From a distance the emphasis is on the graphics; when getting closer, in each work a new world full of details and tactility reveals itself. This forms an extraordinarily captivating combination that invites you to keep exploring.

Close-up of white dot art work

Sigrid Calon - ‘WOVEN GRIDS SC_1’, 2022 (detail of #16), - Jacquard weave, wool & trevira on canvas & wooden frame.

Art Now 72: Koen Vermeule

Dutch visual artist Koen Vermeule (b. 1965) explores themes of transience, loneliness and the longing for meaning in a modern society. He often depicts the relationship between people and their surroundings, in a particularly poetic and contemplative quality. Vermeule manages to capture the essence of his subjects without getting lost in unnecessary details.

Woman sweeping the floor

Koen Vermeule - 'Poetry Suite', 2021, Piezography (high-quality pigment print), dim. 34x49 cm.
Art Collection EUR.

Often Vermeule’s work is based on the urban environment, where he finds beauty in everyday scenes and landscapes. His mastery of color and light allows him to create an atmosphere that takes the viewer into an introspective world. The works thereby often display a quiet serenity, while at the same time an underlying tension and melancholy is tangible, as we can see here in the 2021 work ‘Poetry Suite’.

Art Now 71: Sigrid Calon

The seventy-first artwork in the Art Now series is a Riso print by artist Sigrid Calon (b. 1969). The 2023 work titled "Woven Grids SC 07" belongs to a series of forty prints. The series was added to the Art Collection EUR in 2023 and is on display at the Erasmus Gallery on campus Woudestein until the first week of September.

Art by Sigrid Calon, a pink playing field

Sigrid Calon ‘Woven Grids SC 07’, 2023 – Riso print - size approx 35 x 35 cm.

Over the years Sigrid Calon has developed her own visual language. She draws inspiration from textures, textile materials & techniques. Calon’s work is not illustrative or figurative. It is autonomous and originates through experimentation; arrangement and play. For that ‘play’ she sets her own rules and creates her own boundaries. From there on she continually re-examines the power of color and form. About its use she says; 'My work revolves around color, the power of color, the surprise of color, combinations with color, emotion of color. Besides color, form is also an important element, it's about the right combination and balance'. In doing so, Calon strives for a strong expression and autonomy of the image; 'preferably one that continues to fascinate, even if you don't know exactly why'.

Art Now 70: throwback Katrin Korfmann

The 70th artwork in the Art Now series is the 2019 piezo print 'Kornati' by Heidelberg-born artist Katrin Korfmann (1971). Korfmann's work is created all over the world. Usually in public locations where people pass each other. Over a more extended period, she takes several photos in one place, always from the same height and viewpoint. Sometimes there are 500, other times there are more than 2000. Images are merged until one photo appears that is somewhat out of place. The people in it do not relate to each other. They share the same space, separated by time.

Art by Kathrin Korfmann, swimming people

Katrin Korfmann 'Kornati', 2019 - piezo print in frame dim. 65 x 45 cm. - Art Collection EUR

About 'Kornati,' Korfmann says: ‘I was with my family this summer (2019) on the 'uninhabited island' in Croatia with the phenomenal Adriatic Sea. We have been here before; you only get there by boat. There are no shops and no roads, no electricity and gas - to build is not allowed because it is a nature reserve, so there are only a few old fishermen's cottages. Our house is 3 m from the sea, with its clear turquoise water. It is so clear it almost looks like a swimming pool, but you can see the dark green stones on the ground if you look closely. This sea is exceptional, and it immediately makes you realize how beautiful and vulnerable our earth is.’

Art Now 69: Maartje Folkeringa

Art by Maartje Folkeringa, twisters in red and yellow

Maartje Folkeringa ‘Like (swipe)’ yellow-orange-red (2022), EUR Art Collection
Technique: glazed ceramic and metal. Dimensions: 'Like' approx: 27x41x6 cm., steel wall shelf: 42,5x11 cm.

Maartje Folkeringa (b. 1978) works from starting points or prompts that she finds in the complicated unwritten rules of contemporary society. She is inspired by verbal and non-verbal communication, self-presentation, and conformism. Today's visual and consumer culture are also recurring sources of inspiration that shape her oeuvre. With the series "Like (swipe)," created in 2022, she gives us a poetic look at ‘liking,’ a gesture and digital form of communication that is part of many people's everyday actions. The series consists of 12 unique objects made of colored ceramics. By using candy colors and pastel shades, Folkeringa enhances the playful and airy nature of the work. In 2022, three Like (swipe)'s from the series were acquired for the EUR Art Collection, including the ‘Like (swipe) yellow-orange-red’ shown here.

Art Now 68: Nono Reinhold

The sixty-eighth artwork in the Art Now series is a color etching by Dutch artist Nono Reinhold (b. 1929) aka IJsbrandina Sophia Wesselia de Wilde-Reinhold. The 1971 work entitled "Le Mur" is a so-called Epreuve d'artiste (E.A.); a print of a graphic work made for the artist, by the artist personally.

Art by Nono Reinhold, a small black gate and a big black gate.

Nono Reinhold 'Le Mur,' 1971 - color etching, epreuve d'artist - size 28.5 x 36 cm

Characteristic of Nono's etchings is the powerful use of color and the abstraction of the depicted subject. In this color etching, she already gives away with the title of the work what we are looking at; a wall. We see a blue tinted wall containing the suggestion of a round window and two passages. The scene makes one curious, stimulates the imagination and suggests that "behind the passages" new scenes are unfolding. Nono starts making etchings in 1954, at which time she lives in Paris. After this, she settles in New York for some time before returning to the Netherlands. International contacts and traveling remain important throughout her entire life.

Art Now 66: Hester Oerlemans

The sixty-sixth artwork in the Art Now series is an object titled BLOB X18 from 2020 by artist Hester Oerlemans (1961). The artwork is installed at Erasmus University Rotterdam's Woudestein campus on March 8, 2023, as part of the International Women's Day 2023 EUR theme: Women in Art.

Art now 66 week 12 Hester Oerlemans

Hester Oerlemans - title ‘BLOB X18’ 2020 - Location: left to the Erasmus Gallery AB-57. Material: balloons, epoxy, car paint, steel - size ± 40 x 40 cm

The artwork 'BLOB X18' 2020 is part of a series of sculptures titled ‘Fixing Air’. The sculptures were created during a residency in Xiamen, China during the first outbreak of Covid 19. The series explores the possibility of fixing air in a sculpture. Each sculpture begins with the inflation of balloons of all shapes and sizes. These balloon assemblies are inserted into a larger balloon, already filled with air, through a precise process. This is then vacuumed to achieve its final shape. The skin of the sculpture is finished by being sealed in layers of epoxy to transform rubber and air into a thin but resistant layer. The sculptures, ‘Blobs’ are reminiscent of both implosion and expansion, of holding on and letting go. The result is an exciting play between recognition and estrangement.

Art Now 65: Eelco Brand

The sixty-fifth artwork in the Art Now series is a still from the 2020 animation 'ZBZ.movi' by artist Eelco Brand* (1969). 'ZBZ.movi' is, along with two other animations by Brand, on view at the exhibition Timeless in the Erasmus Gallery on campus Woudestein, until the end of March.

Art now 65 week 9 Eelco Brand

Eelco Brand – still uit ‘ZBZ.movi’, 2020 – by courtesy of the artist – on view Erasmus Gallery

Using computer software as his tool, artist Eelco Brand (1969) searches for methods to depict a believable organic scene based on inanimate digital material. In his search Brand does not use photographic material or scanned images. He creates the animations that represent his own reality. Brand's animations show a synergy in which the language of scale, repetition, infinite detail, and the deeper meaning of a simple gesture come together. The animations are repetitive imaginative triggers that manage to hold the viewers eye without telling a story.

Brand primarily creates "nature" animations. About this he says; 'Working with 'nature' is a challenge because it is almost impossible to even approach its infinite complexity. Yet nature and landscape also have a universal language and experience. Strangely enough, landscape as we see it does not actually exist. In reality it is simply a collection of randomly placed trees, hills, and rocks, which we mentally translate into a landscape. Reality is reconstructed in the human brain, and this reflection has a similar immaterial quality to the bursting electron that create a computer-generated image.’

*Eelco Brand started his career as a painter, studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam.

Art Now 64: throw-back Lieven Hendriks

Art now 64 week 6 Lieven Hendriks

Lieven Hendriks - ‘Yellow Sun’, 2019, acrylic on polyester canvas, diameter 30 cm - EUR Art Collection

The artwork 'Yellow Sun,’ from 2019 is made by artist Lieven Hendriks (1970). Hendriks studied at the HKU in Utrecht and continued his education at the post-academic institute De Ateliers in Amsterdam. There he laid the basis for his oeuvre. Hendriks has a fascination with perception. About its underlying rationale the artist says: 'It's about the bias of looking. About the relationship between what we see and what we think we see; how perception can change completely through context, experience, or knowledge. I am interested in the tipping of the gaze'. Everything in the work is important, including the use of color in all its nuances. Hendriks elaborates, in his own, modern way, on the trompe l'oeil tradition, a painting technique that has been used by painters since the 17th century to suggest the presence of, for example, pillars or statues and thus to 'deceive the eye'.

Art Now 63: Eelco Brand

The sixty-third artwork in the Art Now series is a still from the 2021 animation 'KB.movi' by artist Eelco Brand* (1969). 'KB.movi' is on view in the exhibition Timeless, together with two other animations by Brand, at the Erasmus Gallery on campus Woudestein, until the end of March.

Eelco Brand – still from ‘KB.movi,’ 2021 – by courtesy of the artist – now on view in the Erasmus Gallery

Artist Eelco Brand (1969) uses computers and digital 3D modeling and animation techniques to create images that reflect his conception of reality. In his ‘nature’ animations, he creates a suggestion of life, while simultaneously hinting at an impersonal untouchability. Brand's animations emerge virtually from his imagination and have no narrative unfolding, beginning, or end. The digital creations stand alone, each displaying an almost meditatively repetitive movement that invites the viewer to keep looking.

Before working with digital techniques, Brand painted. As a former painter, he sees great similarities between a 3D digital construction and a painting. On why Brand switched from painting to computer-generated art, he says; ‘I continue to make the same kind of works; the only thing that has changed is that I now use a mouse and a screen instead of brushes and canvas... Painting consists largely of adding and removing elements. You work on an image that develops through its own logic. For me, constructing a 3D image is in that sense the same as painting. But the fascinating thing about working with 3D constructions is that you can enter the virtual space behind the two-dimensional surface and, more importantly, you also have the ability to animate a scene’.  

* Brand is a graduate of the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and the Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam.

Art Now 62: Kathrin Schlegel part 3 of 3: Der Stein des Weisen

In the artwork Der Stein des Weisen the original seventeenth-century hardstone pedestal, which for centuries bore Hendrick de Keysers statue of Erasmus, comes together with a monumental high-gloss polished stainless-steel sculpture, the shape of which is halfway between a speaking and thought bubble. The historic pedestal is placed in a glass housing, which preserves it for the future with all traces of the past.  In the sculpture, the surroundings are reflected and so is the still present imprint of the statue on the pedestal. The viewer is invited to follow imaginatively in Erasmus' footsteps and mirror oneself in the sculpture; to reconsider the philosopher's thoughts and his legacy for the future.

Kunst in de buitenruimte: RVS sculptuur en de sokkel van Erasmus

Der Stein des Weisen, Kathrin Schlegel, 2018 – Art Collection EUR - location Park Noord, campus Woudestein. Photo: Kathrin Schlegel / Q.R.J. van Dijk

The artwork was commissioned by Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2012 and realized in 2018. The realization of Der Stein des Weisen was made possible by the support and a financial contribution from the Mondriaan Fund. On the process of creation, context and meaning of the artwork, a publication has been released which can be downloaded via: https://www.eur.nl/media/2019-04-kathrinerasmuspublicspread

Art Now 61: Kathrin Schlegel part 2 of 3: The cloud-shaped sculpture

The Cloud-shaped sculpture in park Noord on campus Woudestein is one of two elements of the artwork Der Stein des Weisen by artist Kathrin Schlegel. The monumental sculpture is placed opposite the pedestal of Erasmus and is 6 meters high and 4 meters wide. Made of highly polished stainless steel, "The Cloud" acts as a beacon and refers in its form to Hans Petri's former 1969 environmental artwork on campus Woudestein, affectionately called ‘Petri's Eggs.

Render of stainless steel cloud-shaped sculpture by Kathrin Schlegel

Mesh drawing of the stainless-steel sculpture ‘The Cloud' , one of the elements of the artwork ‘Der Stein des Weisen,’ by artist Kathrin Schlegel.

Petri's artwork had to make way in 2011 for the renewal of the campus. This prompted a commission to create a new iconic artwork for the university. Petri made his round 'egg' forms as a contrast and silent protest against the austere, angular geometry of the buildings. In contrast, Kathrin Schlegel's monumental speech/thought bubble merges, through its reflective material, with the campus environment.
 

Art Now 60: Kathrin Schlegel part 1 of 3: the pedestal of Erasmus

Der Stein des Weisen by Kathrin Schlegel is a permanent artwork in the public space of campus Woudestein. It has been realized in recent years as part of the large-scale transformation of the Erasmus University Rotterdam campus. The work consists of two elements: a cloud-shaped sculpture and the historical pedestal of Hendrick de Keyser's statue of Erasmus from 1677, which is kept for the future as a carrier of meaning in a glass display case.

Render sokkel van Erasmus

Mesh drawing of 'the pedestal of Erasmus,' one of the elements of the artwork Der Stein des Weisen by artist Kathrin Schlegel.

The title of the artwork Der Stein des Weisen literally refers to the pedestal that has faithfully carried the famous Erasmus statue, which now stands in front of the Laurenskerk, for three centuries: the stone of the wise scientist. Also, it refers to the legendary Philosopher's Stone, lapis philosophorum. This is the element in alchemy that could transform base metals into precious metals. The search for this impossible element traditionally symbolizes the human desire for material wealth, as well as knowledge and enlightenment. By making the empty pedestal the heart of a new work of art, Schlegel raises questions about the reception history of Erasmus' legacy and the iconography of his figure as a symbol for the city of Rotterdam and the Erasmus university.

Art Now 58: Heske de Vries

Art Now 58: Heske de Vries

Heske de Vries, Slices of Life nr.5, 2014-2015, watercolor, acrylic, charcoal on paper 29.7 cm x 21 cm  Art Collection EUR

With the 2014-2015 series ‘Slices of Life’, artist Heske de Vries (b. 1954) shows cinematic fragments of life that are about vulnerability, beauty, loneliness, and transience. The subjects she chooses are diverse; people, landscapes, squares, still lives and interiors alternate. They seem randomly chosen; however, De Vries selects each subject with the utmost deliberation. In the enormous stream of daily visual information, she searches for images that catch her eye and move her. She captures these images by sketching or photographing them, sometimes she also uses images from existing media. She then transforms the images by adjusting them in light, composition, size and/or atmosphere. In doing so, De Vries unlocks the beauty of everyday situations and invites us to look at them from a new perspective.

Art Now 57: Peter Westerveld

Art Now 57: Peter Westerveld

Peter Westerveld, ‘First Moment,’ 1985, acrylic on canvas, 504 cm x 252 cm - EUR Art Collection - location ISS

Peter Westerveld; ‘Making art will never leave you, it is part of the way you think and the way you work.’

The fifty-seventh artwork in the Art Now series is ‘First Moment’ (1985) by visionary artist and sustainability pioneer Peter Westerveld (1951-2014). Westerveld was born and raised in Africa, to which he would remain connected his entire life. As a young man, Westerveld studied at the academy of fine arts in Amsterdam. As an artist, he was inspired by nature. He wanted his art to stimulate awareness about nature, human actions and sustainable development. For the last fifteen years of his life, he dedicated his art to finding solutions to climate issues. His magnum opus is the ‘Hydrological Corridor’, a system that naturally supplies deserted land from the Tana River to Kilimanjaro with sufficient water. With this enormous work of art, he worked passionately and uncompromisingly to revitalize eroded areas of Africa. Westerveld’s idea has been successfully applied in Mali, Tanzania, and Kenya, and inspires many to this day.

Peter Westerveld; ‘The work I do in the field, that is real art in my opinion. Reviving land recreating forests... You're basically revitalizing life. I consider that to be real art.’

'First Moment' by artist Peter Westerveld depicts the first moment that humans ‘appeared’ on earth as new energy. The artwork was donated to the EUR Art Collection in 2021 and placed in the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The Hague.

Art Now 54: throw-back Marijn van Kreij

Blue tile art in the library

Marijn van Kreij, ZT, (Picasso, The Studio, 1956, The Palm at the End of the Mind, Erasmus University Rotterdam), 2017 hand-painted porcelain tiles, total dim. 285 x 1500 cm - Art collection EUR painted together with students and staff of Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Artist Marijn van Kreij created a unique work of art for the renovated University Library of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. In 2017, the Erasmus University students and staff were invited to come to the Erasmus Gallery and paint a tile after an example selected by the artist. The example was based on a fragment from a painting by Picasso from 1956, entitled 'The Studio.' Marijn van Kreij: 'The personal handwriting and the differences within the repetition are important in the artwork.' In two weeks, almost 1000 tiles on A4 format (21 x 29.7 cm) were painted. Van Kreij then selected the tiles for the final composition. Together they form the artwork of 285 x 1500 cm installed near the new first-floor entrance of the University Library location Institutenlaan, campus Woudestein.

Art Now 53: Rob Leenders

art now 53 week 32 rob leenders

Rob Leenders ‘Windscherm 4’, 1979 - Silkscreen, image 32 x 46 cm (frame 60 x 80 cm) - Art Collection EUR

The 53rd artwork in the Art Now series is 'Windscherm 4' from 1979 by Rotterdam-born artist Rob Leenders (1956). Like the previous work in the Art Now series, this work by Leenders also depicts the windscreen, although we now see quite a few more of them. The increase in the number of windscreens suggests that there also might be an increase in the wind and the number of people on the beach. But it remains only a suggestion because again we see only the windscreens standing on a sandy beach and looking past them towards a calm sea and an everlasting blue sky. The water is still gently rippling up the beach quietly, and in the tranquil moment, again nothing seems to indicate that windscreens are needed. ‘Windscherm 4' was purchased for the EUR Art Collection in 1981 with four other screen prints from the same artist and with the same theme. Since then, the screen prints have been offered in the EUR 'art on loan' program. Due to their popularity among the EUR-employees, the works of art have seen many EUR workplace locations over the years.

Art Now 52: throw-back Rob Leenders

Art now 52: throw-back Rob Leenders

 Rob Leenders ‘Windscherm 1’, 1979 - Silkscreen, image 32 x 46 cm (frame 60 x 80 cm) - Art Collection EUR

The 1979 artwork "Wind Screen 1" by Rotterdam-born artist Rob Leenders (b. 1956) shows, as can already be inferred from the artwork's title, a wind screen. We see it standing upright at a sandy beach, as we look past it towards a calm sea and an everlasting blue sky. The water seems to ripple up the beach quietly, and in the tranquil moment, nothing seems to indicate that a windshield is necessary. The layered image invites us to wonder what is behind the shield and let our gaze drift into the distance, as if in memory of a pleasant holiday. ‘Windscherm 1' was purchased for the EUR Art Collection in 1981 with four other screen prints from the same artist and with the same theme. Since then, the screen prints have been offered in the EUR 'art on loan' program. Due to their popularity among the EUR-employees, the works of art have been requested for many EUR workplace locations over the years.

Art Now 51 throw-back Thomas Trum

Art now week 28

Thomas Trum ‘One Green Line’, 2019 Acrylics and glyserine on canvas, 190 x 250 cm - EUR Art Collection

'One Green Line' from 2019 by artist Thomas Trum (1989). This large-scale work of art was purchased in 2019 for the Art Collection EUR and is placed in lecture hall CB-05 in Theil building on campus Woudestein.

Central to the work of Trum is research. Time and again, this artist explores the material, the way of applying it, and the carrier itself. As an instrument, Trum uses, among other things, enormous self-designed felt-tip pens, a machine for marking traffic lanes, and brushes on a drilling machine. A constant factor in his work is paint, whether it concerns his small-scale drawings or his colorful, large-scale works in public space. His work is often based on trial-and-error in which the directness of the action in the creation process is an essential part of the extraordinary result.

Art now 50: throw-back Celine van den Boorn

Art Now 51 throw-back Celine van den Boorn

Celine van den Boorn - Near the European Border #7, digital print, 60 x 90 cm EUR Art Collection

‘Near the European Border #7’ is a digital print by Amsterdam-based Dutch visual artist Celine van den Boorn. The artist focuses on nature, culture, and (un)artificial order. Van den Boorn paints on press photographs and makes the people depicted in them, in the role of soldiers, tourists, or refugees, 'disappear' into the surrounding landscape. A new, more ideal reality emerges through her intervention, but the missing subject remains tangible and subtly visible. The work is layered, in the image (what do we see), and technique (what is paint and what is the photo), and in theme (how does the landscape relate to human presence). The motivation for this work, acquired in the EUR Art Collection in 2020, is news images of refugees' ongoing flow into Europe. In their search for a better and free life, people are stranded en masse in a muddy no-man 's-land at the European borders. The artist herself about her work; 'Struck by the contrast in the photos between the desolation of the situation and the bleak landscape on the one hand, and the cheerful-looking brightly colored tents, luggage and clothing of the refugees on the other, I began to paint away from the original subject matter in the photos. The colorful spheres are unpainted " glimpses" into the original photograph. Through my working method, I hope to magnify the existing contrasts, both in form and content creating tension between hope and reality and movement and stagnation.

Art Now 49: Maura Biava

Art now week 24

Maura Biava ‘New Frequency_curve’ 2018 (detail) - handprint on canson rag on aluminum - 45 x 45 cm from the EUR Art Collection, now on display in the Erasmus Gallery until mid-August 2022

The collection

The EUR Art Collection consists largely of works on paper and, thanks in part to donations, now comprises more than 2,000 works of art. At the start of the collection in 1963, the four original principles for acquiring art were: colorful graphics, contemporary art, national and international artists, and high quality. The last three of the four original starting points are still relevant today. Only the first, colorful graphics, was soon abandoned. As a result, unique works and works in black and white also came into consideration. A selection of these is now on display. Until mid-August, the Erasmus Gallery is exhibiting works of art collected over the years for the EUR Art Collection in …

More Than 50 Shades of Grey

They are all artworks by artists who, for these works, have chosen for black and white without any 'distraction' of color. Reasons for such a choice are often individually driven. Sometimes it is to practice, mastering technique, or because one wants to emphasize the light-dark contrast. The motivation can also be to highlight the composition, to stress the line, or to give extra meaning to the image. Despite - or perhaps even because of - these limitations, the artworks show the richness that the art collection of the Erasmus University has to offer.

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