About

TON LEENARTS

AN ARTIST'S ODYSSEY
Like a modern day Paul Gauguin, Ton Leenarts, the man, has traveled the world seeking inspiration for his work, to be impressed by colours, exotic cultures and people. But he was never alone. His constant companion was Ton Leenarts the painter and his style which developed during the days of Pop art and Andy Warhol. It was a ‘Poppy’ world out there, he discovered and painted.

He has always been a fringe portraitist, it was never dominant in his early career but it is now and we can expect to see more and more of them. When Ton takes a theme aboard he works relentlessly to get deeper and deeper inside it.

His current work once again features full-length portraits, bringing back to life a technique he created in the 1980’s when he was interested in Egyptian (Pharonic) art in which he used full length portraits as a juxtaposition to the old elements he borrowed from the Pharaohs, or at least their artists. What he learned then still fascinates him, is that while their colours are so splendid and enduring, the Egyptians didn't use, or didn't know perspective.

It is a device he still uses today. Flattened space. Ton uses his pictorial field as a whole rather than preserve the choice of ‘figure’ and ‘background’ to create an impacted pictorial density.
In the 1990’s Ton turned his attention to India where he fell under the spell of Moghul miniature paintings and created a synthesis of his own style and the typical Moghul miniature features, like jeweled colours and the way all natural detail is filtered by artifice. A fine example of this shows in ‘Anastasia in Moghul Style’.

And now, after all the traveling, absorbing cultures and influences he has come to the point where Paul actually meets Andy - Gauguin and Warhol, that is - where the dreamyparadisical images meet the hard edge pop images. Where all the ethnic imagery and devices coagulate into an exotic, non-existing world of his own. He uses this to build an atmospherecharged erotic complementary background for his favourite ‘Susie’ portraits - ‘The Enigma of Desire’ or ‘Yamuna River’.

‘Yamuna River’ is based on a well-know story in Hindu mythology. Krishna’s birth was threat to God so he had to make himself scarce. He survived by being given to a simple, peasant family and because he was such a happy and handsome chap all the girls loved him. And not being a Calvinist, Krishna didn’t mind. There are many pictures of the young Krishna with girls, especially the cowherds called gopies in India. A picture often painted is of the lusty Krishna playing with a large gaggle of gopies taking a bath in the river.

Bob Hobman

CURRICULUM VITAE
TON LEENARTS
Born 1952  Wageningen. Holland

Education
Hogeschool voor beeldende kunst (Artibus) Utrecht
Gerrit Rietveld academie. Amsterdam

Exhibitions (selection)

1975      First Exhibition, Amsterdam
1979      U.M.A. Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
1980     “Hells Angels”
              Historisch Museum, Amsterdam
1981      Exposorium, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
1983      Museum Aemstelle, Amstelveen, Holland
1984      Galeria Carlos Lozano, Cadaques, Spain
              Hamilltons Gallery, London
1985     “ Portes Ouvertes” Bastille, Paris
1986      A.R.C.O (galeria Carlos lozano) Madrid
             “Pop Art Arqueologico”
              Galeria Carlos Lozano, Cadaques, Spain
1987      Galerie Beaumont, Luxembourg
              Taller Amsterdam, Amsterdam
1988    “ De oudheid op het spoor”
              Stedelijk Museum, Zwolle, Holland
            “ Catalan Schmertz”
              Galeria Helena Ramos, Barcelona
1989      A.R.C.O.( Galeria Carlos Lozano) Madrid
            “ Artemos, Festival de Art Contemporain”
              Musee de L,art Moderne, Liege, Belgium
              Galerie Biervliet, Amsterdam
1990    “ Los hijos de Maliche”
              Sonsbeek I.A.C. Arnhem, Holland
              Galeria Helena Ramos, Barcelona Cadaques
1991      Galerie Biervliet, Amsterdam
            “ Kiezen voor Kunst”
              Koningszaal, Artis, Amsterdam
            “10 jaar verzamelen”
              Historisch Museum, Amsterdam
1992    “ EL farmaceutico de Ampurdan
              Galeria Helena Ramos, Barcelona
1993     “Geschenk van de nijl”
              Allard Pierson Museum, Amsterdam
1994    “ Verscheurd Jougoslavie”
              Arti en Amicitae, Amsterdam
             “Pop Art Archeologie”
              Galerie Delfi form, Zwolle, Holland
             “ Elvis lives”
               Galley Torch, Amsterdam
1995     “ A magic carpet ride”
               Sonsbeek A.I.C. Arnhem, Holland
               Kunstrai,( Galerie Delfi form) Holland
1996     “ Moonface”
              Wilhelmina Pakhuis, Amsterdam
              Gallery Andrea Leenarts, Cologne, Germany
1997      Galeria Buddhas, Ibiza, Spain
              Kunsthaus, Reiner Opoku, Cologne, Germany
              Galerie Delfi Form, Zwolle. Holland
1998      Moderne Kunst Dietmar Werle, Cologne, Germany
              Galeria La Villa, Ibiza, Spain
1999      Galeria Helena Ramos, Barcelona.

2000      Art Twente, (galerie Delfi form) Hengelo, Holland                                                          Gallery Andrea Leenarts, Cologne, Germany
2001     “In a Gadda da Vida”  
              Moderne Kunst Dietmar Werle, Cologne, Germany
             “Afghanistan Relieve”
              Gallery Buddha, Ibiza, Spain
2002      Gallery Conny Dietzschold, Sydney, Australia
             “Querblick”
              Kolnischen Stadtmuseum, Cologne, Germany
              Galleria Helena Ramos, Barcelona, Spain
             “In a Gadda da Vida “
             Villa in Parque del fiori, Positano, Italy
2004     “Querblick” 2
              Kolnischen Stadtmuseum, Cologne, Germany
             “De keuze van 20 jaar”
              C.B.K. Amsterdam

2005     “Collectie Brummelkamp”
              A.M.C. Amsterdam
             Vishal, Haarlem, Holland

2006     Espace Trajan, Paris, France

2007     La Clave, Madrid, Spain
            " Vamos a Ibiza"
             Arti et Amicittae. Amsterdam
           “ The odd couple”
             Herman Brood museum, Wageningen, Holland
2008     “Around India”
             Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam.

             "still lives and objects".

             Gallery Klaudia Marr. Santa Fe. U.S.A.

2009    "555"  Go Gallery. Amsterdam.

             "het raadsel van de begeerte"

             Gallerie Delfi form. Zwolle. Holland

COLLECTIONS

              Stedelijk museum. Amsterdam
              Historisch museum. Amsterdam
              Tropenmuseum. Amsterdam
              Vrije Universiteit. Amsterdam
              Collectie gemeente, Amsterdam
              National gallery of Victoria. Melbourne
              Fortis Insurance Holdings Ltd  Melbourne
              Peter Stuyvesant collectie. Rotterdam
              Mobil oil. Rotterdam
              Mobil oil. New York
              Mobil oil  Dallas
              Forbes collection. New York           
              Julian and Jean Levi collection. Connecticut
              Dietmar Werle. Cologne    
              Jan des Bouvries  Naarden
              B.S.O. Eindhoven
              Philips collection, Eindhoven
              Herman Brood museum, wageningen

STAGE DESIGNS

             Theatre Mary Stuart. Paris

            “ Savage Love”  by Sam Shepard
            “ Artoise”     by  Robert cordier
            “ Angel City”  by Sam Shepard
            “ Fool for Love"  by  sam Shepard  

  working.