Dutch artist dies before exhibition of his life unveiled
An exhibition that shows the journey of a Dutch artist who emigrated to New Zealand has become a celebration of his life.
Leon van den Eijkel died aged 81 on April 15, before a display showcasing his work opened in Foxton on April 24.
The exhibition Colourful Nation – Kleur Bekennen features about 30 works created from 1958 to 2020, including van den Eijkel’s first works in art school to his most recent creations.
Oranjehof Dutch Connection Centre chairman Arjan van der Boon said they wanted the exhibition to be a recognition of van den Eijkel’s influence on New Zealand, as emigrants were often pushed to the side.
Notable works included the Urban Forest at Cobham Drive on the Kilbirnie waterfront, The Smiling Windmills at Avalon Park in Lower Hutt, and The Geometric Totem Pole at the Brick Bay Sculpture Trail in Auckland.
Van der Boon said the exhibition showed the progression of a disciplined Dutch way of working to absorbing New Zealand culture and loosening up to take influence from the landscape. ‘‘The two parts of him influenced each other.’’
Van den Eijkel was born in The Netherlands in 1940 and studied at The
Hague Royal Academy of Art from 1958 to 1963. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1986.
He was known for his use of bright colours, and came up with the concept for a new colour palette by watching the sunset in Wellington and recreating the colours in a book. The 193 colours become the palette he worked from. He called them his ‘‘pacific colours’’.
The books are on loan from Te Papa for the display, and people could flip through them with gloves on.
Van de Eijkel did not get to see his work hung in Foxton, but contributed to the display’s planning.
There was one-minute of silence at the exhibition opening on April 24.
‘‘It was sad, but it’s a celebration and the works are so colourful and cheerful themselves. Hewouldn’t have wanted it to be a sad affair,’’ van der Boon said.
The exhibition has been curated by the Oranjehof Dutch Connection museum and will be at Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom in Foxton until July 25.