Hermanus Berserik
Encyclopedia
Hermanus Berserik (born The Hague
, June 19, 1921 - died there March 21, 2002) was a Dutch
painter and print maker. He was a member of the Pulchri Studio
in The Hague. He studied art at that city's Royal Academy of Art
, where his teachers included Willem Schrofer, Willem Jacob Rozendaal, and Rein Draijer.
and Rein Draijer. He graduated in 1944, and became member of the Hague Art Circle in 1946. In 1948 he became a teacher at the Vrije Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten
(Free Academy of Fine Arts Workshop) in The Hague. He was a member of the group Verve (1951–1958). From 1958 to 1978 Berserik was a teacher printing and illustration techniques at the Royal Academy of Fine Art in 1963 and active member of the The Hague art club "Pulchri Studio". He was also a member of the Federation of Professional Visual Artists in Amsterdam. He lived from 1952 until his death in the former gardeners home (built in 1806) of the country estate "De Voorde" in Rijswijk
.
, the PTT (Dutch royal mail) and KLM. So he made more than 300 covers and illustrations for books for publishers including Voorhoeve (The Hague), Bert Bakker/Daamen (Ooievaar pockets) and Querido (Salamander pockets, both comparable with the Penguin Books
). These were books by famous authors such as Louis Paul Boon
, Willem Elsschot
, Nescio
and Paul van Ostaijen
. In 1959 he made cartoon film about the construction of the Delta Works
in the southwest of the Netherlands in commission of the public relation department of the water management authorities. Between 1953 and 1976 he designed costumes and stages for eight different theater productions.
Berserik made over 1500 paintings, portraits, still lives, city and seascapes and landscapes. He also made architectural commissions, laying mosaics, reliefs and murals in the district of The Hague where he spent his youth. Most of them are now destroyed because the buildings they were part of were pulled down.
, "Museum voor Communicatie" in The Hague and the "Instituut Collectie Nederland". However, the majority of his paintings, drawings, etchings and lithographs is privately owned.
Posthumously
Between 1943 and 2001 there were 50 group exhibitions including:
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, June 19, 1921 - died there March 21, 2002) was a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
painter and print maker. He was a member of the Pulchri Studio
Pulchri Studio
The Pulchri Studio is an important art institution and art studio based in The Hague, Netherlands. It began in 1847 at the home of painter Lambertus Hardenberg, established with the help of Johan Hendrik Weissenbruch, Jan Weissenbruch, Willem Roelofs, Jan Frederik van Deventer, Willem Antonie van...
in The Hague. He studied art at that city's Royal Academy of Art
Royal Academy of Art (The Hague)
The Royal Academy of Art, The Hague is an art academy in the Netherlands. It is the oldest art academy in Europe. Known in Dutch as "Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten, Den Haag" it was founded on 29 September 1682 when its predecessor, the Haagsche Teekenakademie was dissolved.- External...
, where his teachers included Willem Schrofer, Willem Jacob Rozendaal, and Rein Draijer.
Biography
Berserik studied at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague from 1939 to 1944, where he studied with among others William Schrofer (painting), Willem Rozendaal (graphic arts), Paul CitroenPaul Citroen
Roelof Paul Citroen was a German-born Dutch artist, art educator and co-founder of the New Art Academy in Amsterdam. Among his best known works are the photo-montage Metropolis and the 1949 Dutch postage stamps....
and Rein Draijer. He graduated in 1944, and became member of the Hague Art Circle in 1946. In 1948 he became a teacher at the Vrije Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten
Vrije Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten
Vrije Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten is an art school in The Hague, The Netherlands....
(Free Academy of Fine Arts Workshop) in The Hague. He was a member of the group Verve (1951–1958). From 1958 to 1978 Berserik was a teacher printing and illustration techniques at the Royal Academy of Fine Art in 1963 and active member of the The Hague art club "Pulchri Studio". He was also a member of the Federation of Professional Visual Artists in Amsterdam. He lived from 1952 until his death in the former gardeners home (built in 1806) of the country estate "De Voorde" in Rijswijk
Rijswijk
Rijswijk is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is a suburb of The Hague and covers an area of 14.48 km² ....
.
Work and style
Berserik initially did a lot of commissioned work: posters, small prints and illustrations. He signed commercials for PhilipsPhilips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
, the PTT (Dutch royal mail) and KLM. So he made more than 300 covers and illustrations for books for publishers including Voorhoeve (The Hague), Bert Bakker/Daamen (Ooievaar pockets) and Querido (Salamander pockets, both comparable with the Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
). These were books by famous authors such as Louis Paul Boon
Louis Paul Boon
Louis Paul Boon was a Flemish journalist and novelist who is considered one of the major 20th century writers in the Dutch language...
, Willem Elsschot
Willem Elsschot
Willem Elsschot , was a Flemish writer and poet . A few of his works have been translated into English.-Life:...
, Nescio
Nescio
"Nescio", Latin for "I don't know", was the pseudonym of the Dutch writer Jan Hendrik Frederik Grönloh, born June 22, 1882 in Amsterdam and died July 25, 1961 in Hilversum, both in the Netherlands. Grönloh was a businessman by profession; as Nescio he is mainly remembered for the three novellas De...
and Paul van Ostaijen
Paul van Ostaijen
Paul van Ostaijen was a Flemish poet and writer.Van Ostaijen was born in Antwerp. His nickname was Mister 1830, because of his habit of walking along the streets of Antwerp clothed as a dandy from that year....
. In 1959 he made cartoon film about the construction of the Delta Works
Delta Works
The Delta Works is a series of construction projects in the southwest of the Netherlands to protect a large area of land around the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta from the sea. The works consist of dams, sluices, locks, dikes, levees, and storm surge barriers...
in the southwest of the Netherlands in commission of the public relation department of the water management authorities. Between 1953 and 1976 he designed costumes and stages for eight different theater productions.
Berserik made over 1500 paintings, portraits, still lives, city and seascapes and landscapes. He also made architectural commissions, laying mosaics, reliefs and murals in the district of The Hague where he spent his youth. Most of them are now destroyed because the buildings they were part of were pulled down.
Awards
Berserik received numerous awards, including "Koninklijke Subsidie voor de Schilderkunst" in 1948 en 1949, de "Jacob Marisprijs" in 1950, de "David Roëllprijs" in 1951, de "Jacob Marisprijs voor grafiek" in 1952 en 1960, de "Jacob Hartogprijs" in 1963 en "Jacob Hartog oeuvreprijs" (Lifetime Achievement award) in 2000.Students
Berserik taught: Adele de Beaufort, Ernst Bosch, Erna Giesel, Ton Hoogendoorn, Anthony Roelofs and Barbara Schrier. The graphic designer Françoise Berserik and illustrator Teun Berserik are children of Herman Berserik.Musea
The work of Berserik has appeared in several Dutch museum collections, including the Gemeentemuseum Den HaagGemeentemuseum Den Haag
The Municipal Museum is an art museum, located in The Hague, Netherlands.The museum was built by the Dutch architect H.P. Berlage. It is renowned for its large Mondrian collection, the largest in the world...
, "Museum voor Communicatie" in The Hague and the "Instituut Collectie Nederland". However, the majority of his paintings, drawings, etchings and lithographs is privately owned.
Exhibitions (selection)
Between 1947 and 2001 there were 38 one-person exhibitions including:- 1965 Art Gallery M.L. de Boer in AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam 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...
- 1967 First Retrospective exhibition in former Gemeentemuseum (now: Museum voor Moderne Kunst Arnhem) in ArnhemArnhemArnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
- 1971 Pulchri StudioPulchri StudioThe Pulchri Studio is an important art institution and art studio based in The Hague, Netherlands. It began in 1847 at the home of painter Lambertus Hardenberg, established with the help of Johan Hendrik Weissenbruch, Jan Weissenbruch, Willem Roelofs, Jan Frederik van Deventer, Willem Antonie van...
The Hague - 1973 Travelling exhibition in Cultural Center VenloVenloVenlo is a municipality and a city in the southeastern Netherlands, next to the German border. It is situated in the province of Limburg.In 2001, the municipalities of Belfeld and Tegelen were merged into the municipality of Venlo. Tegelen was originally part of the Duchy of Jülich centuries ago,...
, Gemeentemuseum Den HaagGemeentemuseum Den HaagThe Municipal Museum is an art museum, located in The Hague, Netherlands.The museum was built by the Dutch architect H.P. Berlage. It is renowned for its large Mondrian collection, the largest in the world...
, Zonnewijzer Eindhoven and De Vaart HilversumHilversumis a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called "'t Gooi", it is the largest town in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller villages...
. - 1979 Second retrospective exhibition in the Gemeentemuseum, Arnhem (June–August) and Zonnehof AmersfoortAmersfoortAmersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the...
(Sept.) - 1988 - 2001 Seven retrospectives in his hometown, "Museum RijswijkRijswijkRijswijk is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is a suburb of The Hague and covers an area of 14.48 km² ....
(ZH)".
Posthumously
- 2009 Retrospective exhibition at the Museum Buitenplaats in EeldeEeldeEelde is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Tynaarlo, and lies about 9 km south of Groningen. Groningen Airport Eelde is located near the village....
Between 1943 and 2001 there were 50 group exhibitions including:
- 1951 Realists from 7 countries , Stedelijk MuseumStedelijk MuseumFounded in 1874, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is a museum for classic modern and contemporary art in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. It has been housed on the Paulus Potterstraat, next to Museum Square Museumplein and to the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the Concertgebouw, in Amsterdam Zuid...
, Amsterdam. - 1961 Artists see the Delta works, Gemeentemuseum Den HaagGemeentemuseum Den HaagThe Municipal Museum is an art museum, located in The Hague, Netherlands.The museum was built by the Dutch architect H.P. Berlage. It is renowned for its large Mondrian collection, the largest in the world...
- 1977 "De Fiets" (The bike), Museum Boijmans Van BeuningenMuseum Boijmans Van BeuningenThe Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is the main art museum in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The museum began in 1847 with the collection of Frans Jacob Otto Boijmans . Much of the museum's original collection was destroyed in a disastrous 1864 fire...
, Rotterdam - 1984 De doorbraak van de moderne kunst in Nederland (The breakthrough of modern art in the Netherlands) Stedelijk Museum De LakenhalStedelijk Museum De LakenhalStedelijk Museum De Lakenhal is a city museum of fine arts in Leiden, the Netherlands. The museum hosts a collection of altarpieces and religious artifacts from before the Protestant Revolution that were formally ceded to the state in 1572, but it is mainly of interest for its collection of...
, Leiden - 1993 "De jaren 50, een Haagse visie". (The fifties, a Hague vision). Pulchri StudioPulchri StudioThe Pulchri Studio is an important art institution and art studio based in The Hague, Netherlands. It began in 1847 at the home of painter Lambertus Hardenberg, established with the help of Johan Hendrik Weissenbruch, Jan Weissenbruch, Willem Roelofs, Jan Frederik van Deventer, Willem Antonie van...
The Hague - 2001 "Nederlandse realisten na 1950" (Dutch Realists after 1950), KunsthalKunsthalThe Kunsthal is a museum in Rotterdam, which opened its doors in 1992. The museum is situated in the Museumpark of Rotterdam next to the Natuurhistorisch Museum Rotterdam, and in the vicinity of the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Entrance to the Kunsthal is from the Westzeedijk...
, Rotterdam.