Erwin de Vries

Museum Beelden aan Zee presents a retrospective exhibition featuring works by the Surinamese artist Erwin de Vries (Paramaribo, 1929 - 2018), within the historical context of fifty years of Surinamese independence – an event that will be celebrated this autumn with various activities in the Netherlands and Suriname.

Vitality
Erwin de Vries moved to the Netherlands at the age of nineteen, where he studied at the art academy in The Hague and at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. He quickly made a name for himself as a sculptor and painter. De Vries is the artist of the National Monument for the History of Slavery in Oosterpark in Amsterdam, where the Keti Koti (chains broken) commemoration takes place annually on July 1st in memory of the abolition of slavery in Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean.


After his death, De Vries left behind an extensive and interesting oeuvre, ranging from expressionistically designed sculptures and free compositions to striking portraits and both abstract-expressionist and figurative paintings and drawings. The vibrant colors of his paintings reflect his Caribbean background and source of inspiration. De Vries's art testifies to an enormous zest for life: earthly life and people, with an emphasis on eroticism and women, are central to him.

The exhibition particularly highlights his sculptures, selected from various institutional and private collections, most of which have not been publicly displayed before.


Curators: Joost Bergman, Museum Beelden aan Zee, and Hanneke Oosterhof, cultural historian.

Simultaneously with the opening of the exhibition, an extensive biography of the artist, written by Hanneke Oosterhof, will be published. This full-color publication is available in the museum shop.

Photo: Erwin de Vries, Rocket to the Moon, 1968-1970. Bronze, gilded, on black-stained fir wood base, 23.5 x 40 x 12 cm, base 11 x 28.5 x 10.5 cm, collection Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.