Museum Beelden aan Zee invited 15 renowned Dutch sculptors to select a younger colleague they feel is most akin. The answers to this somewhat provocative question can be seen first hand at the exhibition 'Fathers and Sons. Succession in Dutch sculpture'
Fathers and Sons, based on an original concept by Shinkichi Tajiri (1923-2009) and Piet Slegers (1927), brings to life in a special way the relationship between three successive generations of Dutch sculptors. The first generation was born between 1910 and 1930; the second between 1930 and 1950 and the third in the period 1950-1970.
The question was presented to five sculptors from the oldest generations first. Besides Tajiri and Slegers the members of this generaiton were: Ben Guntenaar (1922-2009), Carel Kneulman (1915-2008) and Carel Visser (1928). They chose for Paul Kubic (1940), Henk Fish (1950), Berend Bodenkamp (1942), Gerard Höweler (1940) and Joep van Lieshout (1963) respectively. Subsequently, this second generation was asked to answer the same question. Their choice in turn was: Mathieu Knippenberg (1950), Paul de Reus (1963), Hieke Liege (1958), Gerard van Rooij (1954) and Zoro Feigl (1983).
Usually in art history one looks for inspiration, towards the past and to previous generations. Now the roles have been reversed and the oldest generation by exception relates their work to that of the future generation.
The exhibiton reviews various styles and streams, ranging from abstract-expressionism in the spirit of COBRA to contemporary figurative poetic realism. Fathers and Sons provides a splendid, kaleidoscopic view of the enormous diversity that Dutch sculpture has characterized over the last 65 years.