Zadkine's relief for the Tomado factory in Etten-Leur, 1955 (photo Museum JAN, Amstelveen).

Ossip Zadkine (1888-1967) drew inspiration from classical antiquity and nature. His work revolves around myths and metamorphoses. This summer and fall, Museum JAN in Amstelveen is dedicating an exhibition to this Russian-French artist, who is internationally renowned as the creator of the war memorial "The Destroyed City" in Rotterdam. In addition to a select group of sculptures that are typical of Zadkine's vision of art and artistry, a lesser-known part of his oeuvre will also be on display in Amstelveen. With his expressive gouaches, lithographs, and etchings, Zadkine demonstrated an exceptional dual talent.

Ossip Zadkine, born in Belarus in 1888, settled in Paris in 1910 after spending several years in England. At the time, Paris was the undisputed capital of the Western art world. From the outset, his work drew inspiration from the myths of Greek and Roman antiquity. His oeuvre is populated by mythological human figures such as Diana, Narcissus, and Orpheus. He recognized himself in the latter figure. Just as Orpheus made animals, plants, and even stones dance with his singing and lyre playing, Zadkine believed that an artist could bring lifeless matter to life with his artistic gift.

Zadkine posing with pipe, Paris 1954 (photo by Piet Esser)

Initially, Zadkine preferred to work in wood and stone, taken directly from nature, which is brought to life in the hands of a sculptor, so to speak. Not coincidentally, in Zadkine's art, hands as instruments of creative power are ubiquitous. He felt a strong connection to nature. In nature, he saw the most wondrous forms, which, moreover, were constantly subject to change. Through a process of metamorphosis, in nature, as in the visual arts, one form could emerge from another. In this context, Zadkine also spoke of the birth of forms.

Ossip Zadkine - The Three Graces - Bronze - 1950

The reason for the exhibition in Amstelveen is Zadkine's sculpture "The Three Graces" (1950) in Museum JAN's collection. The bronze sculpture with the mythological subject was bought in 1954 by industrialist and later museum founder Jan van der Togt. On October 4, it will be exactly 70 years since Van der Togt's new Tomado factory opened in Etten-Leur. An equally impressive relief by Ossip Zadkine adorned the entrance to the impressive building by architect Hugh Maaskant. Van der Togt's love for Zadkine's work marks the beginning of his private collection and is at the foundation of the museum.

The exhibition 'Ossip Zadkine. Man, Myth & Metamorphosis' features sculptures, paintings, and prints from Dutch museum collections and private collections. They illustrate the artist's close relationship with the Netherlands, where he had many friends. After 1945, his work featured in almost every exhibition of modern sculpture in our country. Zadkine's significance for the development of Dutch sculpture in the 20th century was undeniable, but the reverse is also true. Partly due to his good Dutch contacts, Zadkine grew into one of the most influential artists of international modernism.