Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} I Jan Cremer by Jan Cremer Jan Cremer, his last work.. It is impossible to review all the highlights and scandals of the long career of the eighty year old writer and artist Jan Cremer in a short time. But in order to characterise the nature of Cremer's artistry correctly, a number of achievements have to be mentioned. At the beginning of his career he often caused a stir with his statements. In 1960, for example, when he said on television: 'Rembrandt, who is that? I don't do sports' The Netherlands is upside down and that won't be the last time. Another example is that he presented a five-panel-painting with the title 'La Guerre Japonaise' during the exhibition 'The world is a Cremertorium' in the Hague Salon. The five-metre wide painting was for sale for an astronomical amount of 1 million guilders in that time! The provocation reaches the news in the world press and Jan Cremer's reputation had been established. In 2015 this painting was purchased by the Museum De Fundatie in Zwolle, where it can be admired together with his other early work. La Guerre Japonniase, 1960 by Jan Cremer in Museum De Fundatie in Zwolle. The publication in 1964 of his revealing book, 'Ik Jan Cremer' (I Jan Cremer), which was translated into more than thirty languages, added up even more to his reputation. Not only did it bring him international fame once again, but it also ensured that he would forever be seen as an 'enfant terrible', both in the literature and in the art scene. Two other parts of the book would follow, in which quite a few reputations in the Dutch art world got damaged, the books can be described as inexorable and frank. Cremer was a typical writer's writer in those first years of his writing career. Famous Dutch writers as Gerard Reve and Willem Frederik Hermans though appreciated his work. The covers of the books 'Ik Jan Cremer' (I Jan Cremer) and his latest book 'Storm'. In 1957 he painted the first of a series of canvases in a way that would become known as 'peinture barbarism'. In Paris, in the Rue Santeuil where Karel Appel, Corneille and Bram Bogart had their studios, he deepens his knowledge of and experience with the subject matter and the treatment of paint. Especially Bogart's experiments are the basis on which he would develop further. Also during his stay in Ibiza in the early sixties he makes a large number of paintings and gouaches, showing what the 'peinture barbarism' can do. These are works in which Cremer, in the uninhibited manner of action painting, almost ejaculates the paint with wild strokes and the grand gesture. I paint like a barbarian in a barbaric era', he says in an interview, a statement that has been attributed to Karel Appel for years. After the success of 'Ik Jan Cremer' he leaves for New York, which develops into the Mecca of post-war modern art. Here too Cremer makes himself heard. For instance, he makes a notorious tour with Jane Mansfield and stays for some time in the famous Chelsea Hotel, where he meets many other artists. His way of painting changes under the influence of American Pop Art. The colourful canvases he makes can be regarded as the Dutch version of this movement. They are tightly composed and show all the tourist clichés with which the Netherlands is known abroad; cows, tulip fields and farmer's wives. His American hot dog becomes almost iconic. See also the images below. From 1970 Cremer combines disks and painting with countless journeys, often to inhospitable places. And although Dutch landscapes keep recurring, the steppes, deserts and mountain ranges of Siberia and Mongolia also become a source of inspiration in the course of his artistic career. So too are the southern French and Italian landscapes, particularly those of Tuscany and Umbria, where Cremer has a house and studio. The theme of war inevitably returns in his work as well. During this period the work can be seen in almost uncountable exhibitions at home and abroad. His epic 'The Huns' appears in which Cremer describes his years in Enschede. This is not something he is grateful for - and it was to be expected - in the former textile town. Some time later there is renewed commotion when the Cremer Museum planned in the Roombeek district is not realised. The intended 'Cremer Museum' and a screen print. From 2000 Cremer added the seascape to his landscapes. In his mind, the tempestuous images of the sea and the countless shapes it can take on appear. They are the residue of his experiences as a young sailor and of his stays on the Nauset peninsula in Massachusetts and Long Island, where he visited Willem de Kooning several times in his studio. Titles such as: 'Aurora II', 'New Foundland', 'Truro Sunrise' and 'Wellfleet Cape Cod' for example, are the grandiose representations of these nature experiences on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Cremer's material par excellence, remains the paint. The recent works in which the experience of Umbria's landscape mixed with paint has been recorded are also a manifestation of the revitalised 'peinture barbarism'. The impressions that Jan Cremer manages to evoke in the viewer of this work at the age of eighty are awesome and once again overwhelming. Wellfleet Cape Cod, 2014, Jan Cremer, 120x150 cm, If you would like to see more of Jan Cremer's works that are for sale at Gallerease, please visit the Gallerease website here. Jan Cremer (1940) - De tulpen vlieger. Jan Cremer, Tulpen vlieger - 2002. A colourful canvas, in the shape of a kite, with a tulip field and blue sky. Unique piece. The work is signed at the bottom and back. This is his original kite on which all editions are based. This impressive work is considered by connoisseurs to be the magnus opus of Jan Cremer. A true masterpiece and must-have for any CoBrA enthusiast. Jan Cremer (1940) is a Dutch writer and visual artist. He was educated at the art academies of Arnhem and The Hague. Cremer's literature and visual art have striking similarities. Both focus on letting go of the traditional aesthetics and age-old cultural baggage. Actions such as hanging a ticket of a million guilders on a painting (he was only 18 years old at the time) and driving along the ‘boekenbal’ while honking loudly have made him an enfant terrible of Dutch visual art and literature. After 1970 he mainly focused on making lithographs, which results in a number of 'Dutch landscapes'. Artist: Jan Cremer Title: Tulpen vlieger Year: 2002 Technique: Acrylic on canvas. Dimensions: 150 x 125 cm Condition: The artwork is in good condition. Provenance: The work comes from the private collection of a prominent retired art dealer. Please study the lot photos carefully. Any damage and unevenness visible in the photos are part of the description. Viewing of the work is of course possible. All contact information can be found on our own website. Jan Cremer. “I observe and am invisible.” The essence of Jan Cremer, the acknowledgement of himself, is found in this statement. He is a man whose wanderlust has taken him to many places making him everywhere present, while hidden in plain sight. Jan Cremer, born April 20, 1940 in Enschede, Netherlands at the start of the Second World War is many things. He is a graphic artist and painter, a self described globe trotting journalist, a planetary reporter, and a writer of international renown. His humble beginnings, however, might have suggested otherwise. At the age of two his father died; three years later he is taken from his mother and made a ward of the state. His life became a series of foster homes and families from which he often ran away. Out of that unimaginable existence came a major artistic talent who literally owes his life to art. It has been said that art, both written and painted, was a “life raft” for this war orphan who was also a young rogue with an insatiable desire to learn. In 1964 when he was just twenty four years old, Cremer published a rather salacious autobiography titled “I Jan Cremer”. The I Jan Cremer autobiography catapulted him into the public limelight and spotlight. Cremer’s provocative writing, his chaotic lifestyle, and his beautiful and meaningful paintings caused the world to take pause and gaze upon that which had once been unnoticed. Cremer has an exceptional eye for graphic art. This was apparent even at the tender age of fifteen while a student of Johan Haandra. In his first linocut, (a design or form carved in relief on a block of linoleum) Women with Sword his exceptional talent was obvious. Cremer’s rough life style introduced him to a lot of artists and artistic styles one of which was the work of Karel Appel. Appel was an early influence in Cremer’s life opening for him an entirely new creative world. In 1955 in Rotterdam while Appel worked on his famous E55 (Expo) murals, Cremer had the dubious honor of handing the master his paintbrushes. That may seem insignificant to many, but it was while there, that the influence of Appel showed up in the art works of Cremer in the form of birds and cats. It was here that the red color became the dominant color in his work. Another influence in Cremer’s life was his friendship with Frank O’Hara. O’Hara was a poet who also worked as a curator at the Museum of Modern Art. The two met in Amsterdam where O’Hara was mounting an art exhibition of the works of Franz Kline. Cremer spent several days in O’Hara’s company often quoting him in the Haagse Post. Their friendship grew, and as a testament to Cremer’s artistic talent and their friendship, O’Hara chose a series of gouache paintings (a method of painting using opaque pigments ground in water and thickened with a glue like substance), from Cremer’s studio and wrote ten poems for them. The sudden and tragic death of Frank O’Hara in 1966 devastated Cremer. Several years later Cremer, produces a series of screen prints that celebrated the New York Dutch landscape and the Dutch masters. Reminiscing about his friend moved Cremer into a different place. It was during this time that he began to paint as if telling a story about Holland, evoking memories of his past, from the magnificent Land of Tulips. In 1965 Jan’s first field of tulips is introduced to the modern art world. His stylized flowers, tulips in the shape of a heart blooming up towards a vivid blue color of the empty sky. This symbol, the tulips and hearts has become the leitmotif of Cremer’s life and style. Jan Cremer (b. 1940) Jan Cremer (b. 1940) (i) 5 Cents cigar signed twice, titled, inscribed, dated twice and with the artist's stamp 'jan cremer New York 9 Aug. 67 "5 cents Cigar" 1967 cremer 12/9' (on the reverse); signed and inscribed 'cremer N.Y' (on the stretcher) oil on canvas 23 x 30 cm. Painted in 1967. (ii) Untitled (toothbrush) signed, inscribed, dated and with the artist's stamp 'jan cremer n.y 1967' (on the reverse); signed 'cremer' (on the stretcher) oil on canvas 26 x 36 cm. Painted in 1967. (iii) Hotdog USA with the artist's stamp (in the centre); signed, titled, numbered, inscribed, dated and with the artist's stamp 'hotdog USA. 1967 #5 jan cremer. n.y.' (on the reverse); signed and inscribed 'cremer n.y.' (on the stretcher) oil on canvas 25.5 x 35.5 cm. Painted in 1967 (3) Brought to you by. Check the condition report or get in touch for additional information about this. Condition Report. If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account. Jan Cremer a.o. - I Jan Cremer + Cremer: Grafiek/Prints 1956-1998 - 1965/1998. Interesting publications by the famous writer and artist Jan Cremer. 1. Jan Cremer / R.E. Wyngaard / Alexander Trocchi - I Jan Cremer - Londen, Calder and Boyars, 1965 - 1st English Edition - 335 pp - Grey hardcover with dustjacket - 21 x 14 x 3 cm - text: English. Condition: Good. Dust jacket with traces of use (repaired) and brown spot on the bottom edge (see photos) 2. Pierre Restany / Freddy de Vree - Cremer: Grafiek/Prints 1956-1998 - Bussum, Thoth, 1998 - 1st Edition - 252 pp - Softcover - 22 x 22 x 2 cm - text: Dutch, English.