Constant Nieuwenhuys
Encyclopedia
Constant Anton Nieuwenhuys (21 July 1920 – 1 August 2005) was a Dutch painter, and one of the foremost innovators of Unitary Urbanism
. In 1941, he became deeply interested in the work of Paul Cézanne
, Cubism
and German Expressionism
.
He was born in Amsterdam
. Generally known simply as Constant, in 1948 he founded the Experimentele Groep in Holland with Corneille
, Karel Appel
and his own brother, Jan Nieuwenhuys
. They then went on to link up with Christian Dotremont
and Joseph Noiret of Belgium
and Asger Jorn
of Denmark
to form CoBrA
. In 1958 he helped form the Situationist International where he is most noted for his contribution to unitary urbanism
.http://www.todayinhistory.de/index.php?what=geb&page=1&tag=21&monat=7&year=2006&dayisset=1&lang=en
Scorched Earth I (1951) is one of his noted works from this period. He was also well known for his life-long work New Babylon
, a series of models, collages, writings and other projects related to his theories of urban development and social interaction.
Although his early work was conventional in style and included deeply religious subjects, soon the subjects of his paintings became contemporary and political, including such things as the Vietnam War, African famine and Kosovo refugees. Marxism was a strong influence. Constant's New Babylon: City for Another Life, opened at the Drawing Center in New York in 1999. It was his first solo exhibition in the United States. There was a symposium conducted in conjunction with the exhibition.
A documentary film entitled Le Piège (The Trap) was made about him during the last months of his life, by Thomas Doebele and Maarten Schmidt.
He died in Utrecht
in 2005.
Unitary Urbanism
Unitary urbanism was the critique of status quo urbanism employed by the Lettrist International and then further developed by the Situationist International between approximately 1953 and 1960....
. In 1941, he became deeply interested in the work of Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne can be said to form the bridge between late 19th...
, Cubism
Cubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
and German Expressionism
German Expressionism
German Expressionism refers to a number of related creative movements beginning in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin, during the 1920s...
.
He was born in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. Generally known simply as Constant, in 1948 he founded the Experimentele Groep in Holland with Corneille
Guillaume Cornelis van Beverloo
Guillaume Cornelis van Beverloo , better known under his pseudonym Corneille, was a Dutch artist.Corneille was born in Liege, Belgium, although his parents were Dutch and moved back to the Netherlands when he was 12. He studied art at the Academy of Art in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands...
, Karel Appel
Karel Appel
Christiaan Karel Appel was a Dutch painter, sculptor, and poet. He started painting at the age of fourteen and studied at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam in the 1940s...
and his own brother, Jan Nieuwenhuys
Jan Nieuwenhuys
Jan Nieuwenhuys was a Dutch painter and one of the early active founders of the Dutch Experimentalists group that later became part of CoBrA.-Life and work:Nieuwenhuys was born in Amsterdam....
. They then went on to link up with Christian Dotremont
Christian Dotremont
Christian Dotremont, , was a Belgian painter and poet who was born in Tervuren, Belgium. He was a founding member of the group Cobra, and later became well known for his painted poems, which he called logograms....
and Joseph Noiret of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Asger Jorn
Asger Jorn
Asger Oluf Jorn was a Danish painter, sculptor, ceramic artist, and author. He was a founding member of the avant-garde movement COBRA and the Situationist International...
of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
to form CoBrA
COBRA (avant-garde movement)
COBRA was a European avant-garde movement active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home cities: Copenhagen , Brussels , Amsterdam .-History:...
. In 1958 he helped form the Situationist International where he is most noted for his contribution to unitary urbanism
Unitary Urbanism
Unitary urbanism was the critique of status quo urbanism employed by the Lettrist International and then further developed by the Situationist International between approximately 1953 and 1960....
.http://www.todayinhistory.de/index.php?what=geb&page=1&tag=21&monat=7&year=2006&dayisset=1&lang=en
Scorched Earth I (1951) is one of his noted works from this period. He was also well known for his life-long work New Babylon
New Babylon (Constant Nieuwenhuys)
New Babylon is a Utopian anti-capitalist city designed in 1959-74 by artist-architect Constant Nieuwenhuys. Henri Lefebvre explained: "a New Babylon -- a provocative name, since in the Protestant tradition Babylon is a figure of evil...
, a series of models, collages, writings and other projects related to his theories of urban development and social interaction.
Although his early work was conventional in style and included deeply religious subjects, soon the subjects of his paintings became contemporary and political, including such things as the Vietnam War, African famine and Kosovo refugees. Marxism was a strong influence. Constant's New Babylon: City for Another Life, opened at the Drawing Center in New York in 1999. It was his first solo exhibition in the United States. There was a symposium conducted in conjunction with the exhibition.
A documentary film entitled Le Piège (The Trap) was made about him during the last months of his life, by Thomas Doebele and Maarten Schmidt.
He died in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
in 2005.
Quotes
External links
- Links to some of his paintings and photographs
- Interview from 2003
- Après Nous La Liberté (painting)
- Constant & New Babylon
- Gallery Delaive, large collection of Constant originals