René Daniëls

In December 1987, at the age of thirty-seven, René Daniëls suffered a stroke from which he never completely recovered. His painterly adventure had, already by that time, led to one of the most intriguing oeuvres in the postwar art of the Netherlands. His influence on a younger generation of artists continues to be quite significant. His work – both lucid and enigmatic, humorous but also shrewd and intelligent – attests to a mercurial agility. The painter considers himself a kindred spirit of Duchamp, Picabia and Broodthaers, artists less concerned with the development of a style than with adopting different approaches time and again. In his work several motifs continue to surface in ever-changing and ambiguous guises: the bowtie/exhibition space, the hatrack/microphone, the quay/branches of a tree. His field of activity was once described by him as ‘the former no-man’s land between literature, visual art and life.’

Since 2006 Daniëls has again been making drawings, paintings and objects, which he also presents to the public. The hand of the artist is clearly different here in comparison to his previous paintings. This new work is largely carried out in thick black and brightly colored felt-tips and spray paint.