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Machiel Hopman (1928-2001)

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Beschrijving

Machiel Hopman (1928-2001)

Portret van een Afrikaanse vrouw

Gesigneerd rechtsonder Nzama (pseudoniem)

Olieverf op papier

Afmetingen: ca. 39 x 32 cm. (excl. passe-partout en lijst)

Over de kunstenaar:
In his native city of The Hague, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and immediately left for Paris for a year. In 1954 he embarked on a boat to South Africa, where he ‘created abstract compositions with an explosive use of colour’ and opened his own gallery, the Hopman Gallery in Johannesburg. He also invites black artists to exhibit there, which was very unusual in the apartheid era. Inspired by the proud, mystical culture of the population, he makes paintings under the name Nzama, which are very successful in America and the Netherlands. He also depicts reality on large canvases, but no matter how gray and sad he depicts the impoverished townships, there is always a glimmer of hope for a better future, for example through a bright spot in a dark cloudy sky. He paints everything, including the abstract compositions painted in warm, lighter colours, with his heart, and you can see and feel it.

In order to avoid the apartheid atmosphere, he leaves for the Netherlands in 1973 with his wife and children. In the mid-nineties, however, he returns to his favorite country, where the mix of space, freedom, warmth and scenic beauty grabs him again. He paints with passion in an unprecedented color intensity. Even when his health leaves much to be desired and a medical examination reveals cancer, he continues to paint. Until his death in 2001. Machiel Hopman still knows how to convince and move us with the great expressiveness of his work. (Bureaulakenvelder)