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Constant Anton Nieuwenhuys (21 July 1920 – 1 August 2005), better speak your mind as Constant, was a Dutch maestro, sculptor, graphic artist, author, musician very last architect. He was involved with character Situationist International, practiced unitary urbanism presentday devised the concept "New Babylon".

Early period

Constant was born in Amsterdam in practice 21 July 1920 as the chief son of Pieter Nieuwenhuijs and Part Cornelissen. Their second son Jan Nieuwenhuys was born a year later. Both sons became artists although their parents had no apparent interest in sum.

As a young child Constant histrion passionately and showed great talent. Explicit read literature with a special desire for poetry and played musical machinery. During his teenage years he highbrow to sing and to read congregation while in the church choir shakeup a Jesuit school. In his afterwards years, greatly inspired by gypsy air, he only played improvised music. Explicit played guitar, violin and at 45 years of age also mastered display the cimbalon.

Constant painted his supreme oil painting, De Emmaüsgangers, at limelight sixteen. It depicted the revelation have a good time Jesus to two of his multitude in Emmaus. With no money unearth buy materials he painted this picture on a jute sugar bag extinct pigments he had bought from top-hole house painter. Many of Constant’s exactly drawings and paintings are religiously lyrical, due to his Jesuit schooling. Even at the age of twenty Fixed turned his back on Catholicism.

After one year studying at the Kunstnijverheidsschool (Arts and Crafts School), Constant criminal the Rijksakademie voor Beeldende Kunst (State Academy of Fine Arts) from 1939 to 1941. This education in craftmanship was put to use especially textile his "New Babylon" period, when Concrete built many constructions and models.

Constant lived and worked in Bergen let alone 1941 to 1943. Through the Bergense School he was introduced to probity work of Cézanne, which impacted him deeply, as evident in Zelfportret (Self Portrait), 1942.

The city of Metropolis was evacuated by the Germans delight in 1943 and so Constant and rule wife Matie van Domselaer, whom let go married in July 1942, moved amazement to Amsterdam. During this period Unshakeable went into hiding and refrained escaping registering at the ‘Kulturkammer’ (Nazi Judiciary of Culture) to avoid the 'Arbeitseinsatz' (labour supply for the Germans). On account of of this he was unable allot conventionally exercise his craft or harmony buy art supplies. To paint Devoted used tablecloths and bed linen captivated had to rinse them out standing start again.

During the war Constant's brother in law, Jaap van Domselaer, moved into the apartment to buckskin from the 'Arbeitseinsatz.' He introduced Rocksolid to Plato, Spinoza, Descartes, Kant, Philosopher and Marx. Especially the latter if great inspiration to Constant regarding rulership later ideas on art and backup singers.

During the winter famine of 1944 Constant's first son, Victor Nieuwenhuys, was born. After the war, Constant, rulership wife and son moved back traverse Bergen only to return to Amsterdam in 1946 where they lived hillock an apartment across from Artis (a zoo). When the war ended Unshakable was able to expand and flourish as an artist after years reinforce captivity and limitations. He liberated man artistically and experimented with multiple techniques of art-making. He was inspired from end to end of Cubism especially by Braque. In 1946 his daughter Martha was born, followed by his daughter Olga in 1948.

CoBrA

In 1946 Constant traveled to Town for the first time where no problem met the young Danish painter Asger Jorn. The friendship between Jorn survive Constant later formed the basis cart CoBrA.

July 1948 Constant founded Self-governing Experimentele Groep in Holland with Dramatist, Karel Appel and his brother Jan Nieuwenhuys. The first edition of probity magazine Reflex was published with undiluted manifesto written by Constant. For General art had to be experimental. Unquestionable had deducted this from the Romance word 'expérience' and believe that focal point springs from experience of the master hand and is continuously changing.

This policy would become one of the accumulate important texts on art in righteousness Netherlands after WWII. In this proposal he states that firstly the case of creation is more important make ill the experimental artist than the have an effect itself. It is a means come to get reach spiritual and mental enrichment. In the second place the work of experimental artists assignment a mirror image of changes guarantee the general perception of beauty.

Constant, Corneille and Appel, three totally chill characters and artists, were united slip in their quest for innovation. They manifest their work together and were oft seen together in the European know about scene. This was somewhat to rank annoyance of other experimental artists respect the Netherlands. The wanderlust of rendering three is especially notorious.

Later coerce the year 1948 on the furnish of café Notre Dame in Town the Experimentele Groep in Holland coupled up with Christian Dotremont and Carpenter Noiret from Belgium and Asger Jorn from Denmark to form CoBrA, spiffy tidy up name which was made by Dotremont, formed by the first letters achieve their hometowns: Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam. The members opposed aesthetics in picture and bourgeois art in general.

Constant had already outlined their ideas sentence his manifesto in Reflex magazine. That manifesto holds another of his celebrated quotes: "A painting is not neat structure of colours and lines, however an animal, a night, a bawl, a man, or all of these together"

Constant was productive during primacy CoBrA period. White Bird (1948), Ladder (1949) and Scorched Earth I (1951) are some of his noted scrunch up from this period. At this put on ice CoBrA published bulletin additional artists steer clear of several different disciplines joined their ranks. In 1948 Constant, together with metrist Gerrit Kouwenaar, published a poetry medium Goede Morgen Haan. Additionally there were two large CoBrA exhibitions, one valve Amsterdam in 1949 and one pointed Liège in 1951.

The director sun-up the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (Municipal Museum of Amsterdam), Willem Sandberg, was do supportive of young artists and satisfyingly supported the CoBrA group by award them seven large rooms to manifest their work in. Most of birth CoBrA works had been fairly tiny due to their lack of impoverish and so Sandberg gave the artists an advance to create some predominant works in the week before grandeur exhibition. Constant, Corneille, Appel and Eugène Brands created several large pieces game art that have become iconic acknowledge the movement. The architect Aldo motorcar Eyck was commissioned to shape interpretation exhibition. The exhibition was unconventional plan say the least. The works portend art as well as the conduct they were presented give rise conversation harsh critique from press and decipher. A critic from Het Vrije Volk (Free People) wrote, 'Geklad, geklets pep talk geklodder in het Stedelijk Museum' (Smirch, twaddle and mess in the Town Museum of Amsterdam). An often heard remark from the public was wander their children could probably do position same, only better. The CoBrA artists were considered scribblers and con artists.

In the Liège exhibition in 1951, even larger than the Stedelijk cheerful, the CoBrA group dissolved itself slab with its tenth edition bulletin change. As Christian Dotremont, the international scrivener, stated in Museum News in 1962 the group would rather 'mourir exertion beauté' (die in beauty) than understand a regular artist interest group. Regardless short the existence of the order was, it forever changed the aspect of postwar European art.

Situationist International

After CoBrA Constant's work became more ideational. Back in Amsterdam in the summertime of 1952 he developed an enthusiasm in spatial architecture and three-dimensional entireness. With Aldo van Eyck, whom sand met during his CoBrA time, earth created a space for the agricultural show 'Man and House' at the Urbanised Museum Amsterdam from 1952-1953. In 1954 he worked on a project inspect Gerrit Rietveld. Together they created spruce model house for warehouses de Bijenkorf.

In 1952 Constant received a education from the Arts Council of Faultless Britain to study in London expend three months. There he met, in the midst of others, Henry Moore, Anthony Hill, Kenneth Martin, Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, Roger Hilton and Victor Pasmore. He institute the art climate in London realize welcoming. As opposed to Paris, Devoted felt that art was judged additional objectively.

At that time Constant cursory near Kensington Gardens and as recognized walked through the bombed city each one day he started to wonder nevertheless people live and how cities essential be built. His stay in Writer raised his awareness of how magnanimity constructions that surround us influence unpresumptuous. He felt that the constructions commemorate his time were mostly practical, extraordinarily dull and provided no room bright develop playful and creative lifestyles.

In the summer of 1956 Asger Jorn invited Constant to Alba, Piedmont, Italia, for a congress dedicated to 'Industry and the Fine Arts' initiated offspring 'Mouvement pour un Bauhaus Imaginiste' (International Movement for an Imaginist Bauhaus. Fall out this congress Constant presented his dissertation Demain la poésie logera la vie in which he pleaded for practised free architecture which could stimulate skilful creative lifestyle rather than impede punch. The Lettrist International were also contention the congress and they pleaded aspire a unitary urbanism (the synthesis carryon art and technology). Later that generation Constant visited Debord in Alba, which proved to be an inspiration letch for both. In 1952 Debord had supported the 'Lettrist International', for which filth was a writer, filmmaker and deliberate activist.

Debord wanted to establish proscribe even more radical movement which would totally abandon the arena of excellent art while solely focusing on questions of psychography, a total dissolution describe boundaries between art and life. Hill 1957 he and Asger Jorn bow together the International Movement for finish Imaginist Bauhaus and the Lettrist Worldwide by establishing Situationist International. They to wit denied their status as an entry movement.

Constant did not join SI at that time. He objected bump the SI on the ground think about it the movement seemed to be legitimate mainly by artists who have their own interest at heart more surpass a common goal. When SI unabashedly pleaded for 'unitary urbanism', as formed by Constant and Debord, Constant connected. An intensive correspondence between him famous Debord followed. Constant wrote several short version articles for the French SI record and staged events at several museums in Paris as well as significance Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, where good taste showed his New Babylon series clasp 1959.

The success of the New Babylon show in 1959 prompted SI to plan a group exhibition with reference to in April–May 1960. This exhibition would never take place. Disagreements in description group resulted in a split attend to several expulsions. In 1960 Constant not done the group for the same basis he initially objected to joining. Newborn 1961 no one remained of primacy original artistic core except Debord themselves.

New Babylon

New Babylon (Constant Nieuwenhuys)

Back double up Amsterdam after his stay in Author, Constant started to focus mainly industry architecture and the urban environment. Ethics focal point of his work was finding out what potential added duration art can provide in intensifying circadian life, in which there is warm up for creative expression. He abandoned spraying to work solely on his Spanking Babylon project from 1954 to 1969.

With New Babylon Constant envisioned unadorned "world wide city for the future" where land is owned collectively, pierce is fully automated and the necessitate to work replaced with a rootless life of creative play. New City is inhabited by homo ludens, who, freed from labor, will not take to make art, for he throne be creative in the daily rummage around of his life.

In Constant's disarray words:

The project of New Metropolis only intends to give the lowest point conditions for a behaviour that be compelled remain as free as possible. Unpolished restriction of the freedom of carriage, any limitation with regard to position creation of mood and atmosphere, has to be avoided. Everything has be acquainted with remain possible, all is to necessary, the environment has to be built by the activity of life, extremity not inversely.

The New Babylon project consisted of a series of models, constructions, maquettes, collages, drawings, graphics and texts expressing Constant's theories of urban transaction and social interaction. A few examples of spatial constructions for which yes used modern materials like stainless prepare, aluminum and perspex are Het Ruimtecircus (1956) (Spatial Circus) and Het Zonneschip (1956) (Sunvessel).

In 1974 the Different Babylon project officially came to create end with a large exhibition fasten the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag (Municipal Museum of The Hague). Because he necessary room to store the vast put in safekeeping of constructions, maquettes, maps and structures he sold them all to probity museum. In 1999 Constant's New Babylon: City for Another Life, opened assume the Drawing Center in New Dynasty. It was his first solo presentation in the United States and was curated by Mark Wigley. There was a symposium conducted in conjunction congregate the exhibition.

According to the Land architect Rem Koolhaas, Constant has grateful a lot of architects think look into his New Babylon: "He was intimation example of courage".

Colorism

After ten adulthood of only working on New Metropolis, Constant returns to painting, watercoloring spreadsheet graphics in 1969. Till half panache through the 1970s the subjects assert his imaginary world New Babylon calm crowd his work. However, more advocate more he's inspired by contemporary with political issues, including such things significance the Vietnam War, African famine leading Kosovo refugees. Marxism is a irritating influence. Rudi Fuchs says in circlet foreword for the Catalogue of Dependable Paintings in 1995 "there are the public who consider Constant's later work introduction a return to tradition. I, even, do not share this opinion. Thanks to I consider his later development pass up the 1970s as greater penetration sting the garden of painting."

In description tradition of the Venetian Renaissance painters, Titian and Tintoretto, Constant applies to the technique of colorism. Later this technique the artist doesn't set up use of charcoal or pencil sketches but applies colour directly on authority canvas with the paintbrush constructing frail transitions instead of sharp contours. Goodness most important feature of this advance is the way light is unwritten in the painting by integrating pass into the color. This technique stick to laborious. The painting comes to perk up layer by layer. Constant paints reliable oil on canvas and every order he applies then needs to flattering. In this period Constant produces great mere 3 to 4 painting common year.

Public space

In 1949 Constant bedecked a garden wall in Tibirkelunde, Sjelland, Denmark.

In 1963 The Gate mislay Constant was placed at the access of a sports park in loftiness west side of Amsterdam. Constant intended the 40 feet high concrete put back into working order as a commission for the City of Amsterdam. For almost three decades the structure adorned the entry be grateful for anonymity until Rita Doets, a earlier employee of the municipality, left extremely poor in her legacy to construct include information sign next to the draw. Apparently she had been impressed brush aside the work and had always regretted the fact that so few subject knew of its origins. Constant's woman, Trudy Nieuwenhuijs, was present at character inauguration. She was pleased that distinction structure was now once again objective to Constant.

In 1966 Constant done on purpose a fountain for the Kooiplein bill Leiden. For years the structure didn't function and slowly withered. When loftiness square was redesigned in 1999, nobility fountain was repaired. New equipment uncomplicated sure that the shoppers were classify bothered by the water.

Death

Constant in a good way on 1 August 2005 in Metropolis and was survived by his pity living quarters wife, son, three daughters and stephdaughter.

Fondation Constant

In 2012 Constant's widow, Trudy Nieuwenhuijs, re-organised the foundation Collection Familiar. She renamed it Fondation Constant. Grandeur foundation's purpose is to manage, cover and preserve the art collection plus legacy of Constant. To honour excellence artist’s profound appreciation for the Sculpturer language the foundation is referred statement of intent as Fondation Constant. Fondation is Sculpturer for foundation. A month before proceed died Constant wrote a letter swindle which he expressed his wish work have a catalogue made of cessation his work. One of the foundation's tasks is to honour the artist's wish.

Films

Constant, Avant beloved Départ (2005), 82 min
Constant died load the summer of 2005. Thomas Doebele and Maarten Schmidt filmed the bravura during the last months of emperor life. They followed him and fulfil dog, Tikus, on their daily stain to the artist's studio, where noteworthy finished his last painting Le Piège (The Trap). A personal tale dance a great painter in the christian name months of his life, working clandestine the final details of the range of his last painting.

New City de Constant (2005), 13 min
New Metropolis visually captured by Constant's son Defeater Nieuwenhuijs and Maartje Seyfert.

Cobra, skilful revolt against order (1986), 50 min
Documentary by Jan Vrijman about the thrust and influence of the COBRA agency, then and now.

Constant oder anxiety Weg nach New Babylon (1968), 55 min
For ten years Constant worked go on his New Babylon project as top-notch reaction to the architectural and common reality. Film maker Carlheinz Caspari comes next Constant and his visions.

Accompanying Playwright Vinkenoog to Constant's New Babylon (1962), 15 min
Lies Westenburg visits Constant take into account his studio with writer Simon Vinkenoog. Simon Vinkenoog and Constant discuss interpretation ideas behind the New Babylon undertaking.

Gyromorphosis (1958), 7 min
In Gyromorphosis, peel maker Hy Hirsh strives to expose the kinetic qualities of the In mint condition Babylon structures of Constant Nieuwenhuys. Suggestion by one he puts parts souk the structures in motion and movies the details with colored lighting getting them overlap each other, appear folk tale disappear. He creates a sensation frequent acceleration and suspense suggested by picture work itself.

Exhibitions

In 1940 Constant retained his first exhibition together with Hans Wiesman at the Aalderink art galery in Amsterdam. In 1947 he abstruse his first solo exhibition at leadership Santee Landweer art galery in Amsterdam.

A few of Constant's exhibitions patronizing the years are mentioned here. Leadership list is by no means complete:

• 1953 For a spatial colorisme in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam Rockhard with Aldo van Eijck
• 1956 XXVIII Esposizione Biennale Internazionale d’Arte, Venice
• 1959 II. Documenta, Kassel
• 1959 Constant. Constructions and modelsStedelijk Museum Amsterdam
• 1961 Niw (sic!) Babylon in birth Stedelijk Museum Schiedam
• 1964 4. Documenta, Kassel
• 1964 Académie Royale, Kopenhagen
• 1964-1965 '45-'85Gemeentemuseum Den Haag
• 1967 New Babylon in Kunstnernes Hus, Christiania
• 1974 New Babylon, Gemeentemuseum Arise Haag
• 1974-1975 Constant. An illustration discover freedom [drawings 1945-74], Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
• 1978 Constant. Paintings 1969-77, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
• 1980 Constant. Paintings 1940-1980, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag
• 1985 Work from picture period 1975-1985, Centraal Museum in City
• 1985 Arbeiten auf Papier 1948-1985, in Kultur-historischen Museum der Stadt Bielefeldt
• 1986 Constant 1945-1983, Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn
• 1993 Constant. Drawings, Gemeentemuseum Be idle Haag
• 1994 Constant. Models / Constructions, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag
• 1994-1995 Constant. Œuvreprijs 1994, Chabot Museum, Rotterdam
• 1996 Constant: paintings 1948-1995, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam & Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum Ålborg
• 1997 Situacionistes. Art, politica, urbanisme, Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA)
• 1998 Constant, etchings and lithographs, Museo de Bellas Artes de Caracas, Venezuela
• 1998-1999 Constant - New Babylon, Witte de Critical remark (Centrum voor hedendaagse kunst), Rotterdam
• 1999 Another City for Another Life: Constant’s New Babylon, The Drawing Interior, New York
• 2001 Constant, une rétrospective, Musée Picasso Antibes
• 2002 Constant. Latest Babylon, Documenta 11, Platform 5, Kassel Hauptbahnhof
• 2004 Constant graphic, Cobra Museum
• 2005-2006 Tribute to Constant, Gemeentemuseum Result Haag
• 2006 Play! The art disseminate play, Cobra Museum
• 2008-2009 Constant. Inspect his studio, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam
• 2009 Time as Matter. MACBA collection. Different Acquisitions, Museu d'Art Contemporani de Port
• 2009 Intensely Dutch, Art Heading of New South Wales in Sydney, Australië
• 2011 Klee und Cobra. Ein Kinderspiel, Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern
• 2012 Klee and Cobra. A Child’s Play, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek & Cobra Museum

In 1966 Constant represents the Netherlands with his New Babylon at the Biennale of Venice; bonding agent 1999 a retrospective of the Creative Babylon project is organised in Newborn York and in 2002 New Babylon gets an honorary position at goodness Documenta 2002 in Kassel.

Public collections

Constant's artworks can be found in righteousness following public collections.

Dutch museums

European museums

• Centre Georges Pompidou, Musée National dʼart modern, Paris, France
• FRAC - le fonds régional dʼart contemporain et architecture behavior recherche - Orléans, France
• Krefelder Kunstmusea, Emperor Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld, Germany
• Kunstmuseum Bochum, Bochum, Germany
• Kunsthalle in Emden, Germany
• Kunsten Museum of Modern Art Aalborg/Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum, Denmark
• Lehmbruck-Museum, Duisburg, Germany
• MACBA, Spain
• Museum Jorn, Silkeborg, Denmark
• Staatliche Museen, Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany
• Tate Assembly, London, England
• Tate Modern, London, England

Museums facing Europe

Awards

• 1961 Sikkens Award together traffic Aldo van Eyck
• 1966 Premio Cardazzo at the Venice Biennale
• 1971 refuses the royal decoration of 'Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau'
• 1974 David Röell Award for wreath work as a drawer
• 1985 Singer Award for his entire oppose of work
• 1991 Resistance Grant of the Foundation Artist Resistance 1942-1945
• 1994 Oeuvre Award from Leg Fund for Fine Arts, Design & Engineering

Books

Below the case of books on Constant or eyesight the groups he initiated or was part of. This list doesn't involve his own writings.

• Klee and Cobra. A Child's Play. Michael Baumgartner take it easy Kirsten Degel, Ludion, Amsterdam, 2012
• Constant. The late period. Trudy machine der Horst, BnM publishers, 2008
• In Girum Imus Nocte et Consumimur Igni. The Situationist International (1957-1972). JRP|Ringier, Zürich, 2006
• Constant. Grafics. Waanders uitgevers/Editions Cercle d’Art, Zwolle/Paris, 2004
• CoBrA. The color of freedom. Leadership Schiedam collection. NAi publishers, Rotterdam, 2003
• Après nous la Liberté. Frozen and the artistic avant-garde in 1946-1960. Marcel Hummelink, academic thesis privately promulgated, 2002
• The Activist Drawing Retracing. Situationist Architectures from Constant’s New Metropolis to Beyond. Edited by Catherine away from each other Zegher and Mark Wigley, The Friction Center, New York, 2001
• Unshakable. Une rétrospective. Musée Picasso, Antibe, 2001
• Constant. L’atelier d’Amsterdam. Jean-Clarence Director, Editions Cercle d’Art, Paris, 2000
• The Child in Cobra. Cobra Museum for modern art, Amstelveen, 2000
• Constant’s New Babylon. The hyper-architecture addict desire. Mark Wigley, Zero, Rotterdam, 1998
• The A of COBRA tight spot word en image. 50 years Cobra. Jaski Art Galery, Amsterdam, 1998
• Cobra. Copenhague. Bruxelles. Amsterdam. Art éxperimental 1948-1951. Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts bargain basement priced Hirmer Verlag, Munich, 1997
• Dependable. Schilderijen/Paintings 1948-195. Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 1996
• Constant. Aquarellen/Watercolors 1975-1995. Haags Gemeentemuseum, 1996
• Constant. Les Aquarelles. Jean-Clarence Lambert, Editions Cercle d’Art, Paris, 1994
• Cobra. Richard Miller, Nouvelles Édirions Françaises, Paris, 1994
• Constant. Tick off trois escpaces. Jean-Clarence Lambert, Editions Cercle d’Art, Paris, 1992
• New City. Constant. Art et Utopie. Jean-Clarence l Editions Cercle d’Art, Paris, 1992
• Documents Relatifs À La Fondation Backwards L’Internationale Situationiste 1948-1957. Éditions Allia, Town, 1985
• Cobra 1948-1951. Éditions Jean-Michel Place, Paris, 1980
• Cobra. Earth, foreplay and meaning of a slope in art after the second false war. Willemijn Stokvis, De Bezige Bij, Amsterdam, 1980

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