Going back in time: Daniel Gould’s 3D List, Art in Amsterdam #3

Last week was busy and this week not so busy. There was one gallery that had eight red dots at the opening and it was a pleasure to see. A few had two, but, hey, that's not enough to pay for the wine you drink. There was good work at both the "major" galleries and "minor" ones so why not more red dots. Forget the swine flu and bring on a bad case of measles. Let's spend like it was 1999...or something like that. A gift of art is a gift to last a lifetime.

INDEX:

Bits & Pieces: 
Museum Reviews: "foam"
Huis Marseille
Restaurant Review:
What You Missed Last Week:
What Is Happening This Week: 

BITS & PIECES: 

The Affordable Art Fair has announced that attendance was 15,000 visitors this year compared with 13,500 in 2008. Nearly all exhibitors broke even or moade money with a total of 1,300,000 euros in sales. 
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"Rays of light amid the gloom," an article by Alice Rawsthorn (Int Herald Tribune, 30th Nov.) discusses the state of design in the Netherlands. She was a member of the jury which announced the Rotterdam Design Award last weekend. She says, "Dutch design has been one of the world's most dynamic design centers for ever a decade." She goes on with "If you compiled a checklist of things that are likely to foster a healthy design culture, the Netherlands would be the one the few countries to tick every box." She closes the article by saying, "Despite the gloom inside the Netherlands referring to a current 'weakness in Dutch design being asserted by certain elements outsiders are more optimistic about the prospect for Dutch design. 'Crisis'? you've got to be kidding me,' Paola Anotelli, senior curator of design at MOMA, New York, said laughing 'They should get over themselves, although I guess it's the self-criticism that makes them so good.'" https://bit.ly/2NL9b5A 

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Ronald Tavel wrote the words for Andy Warhol's films, "Hilarious, abrupt, loud, illogical, artlessly artful words." But he would later say, "Warhol and I were very uncomfortable together. I never knew what to say to him, and he never knew what to say to me. In fact, we almost never talked." This from an article titled "For Andy Warhol artlessly artful words," by Manohla Dargis (Int Herald Tribune, 2nd Dec). His contribution to Warhol' s ouevre was 12 produced and three unproduced screenplays. The most important "Vinyl" (1965) and "The Chelsea Girls" (1966). www.iht.com
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This is cool! At the new Openbare Bibliotheek there is an object hanging from the fist floor to the lobby. It is a long braided rope ladder and at the top a woman's legs in [pink stockings are exposed. Here dress is up along her waist ala Marilyn Monroe's famous poster for "The Seven Year Itch." The title, "R's escape and Here Comes Dolly," by Chrystl Rijkeboer.
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ATTENTION ARTISTS: "Monumentalism-Municipal Art Acquisition 2010," is the title and the Stedelijk Museum the sponsor. It is looking for artists whose work reflects upon the idea of national history, problematizing the related issues, creating connections with other histories and displaying distinctive and original ways of looking at historical canons, doing so with aesthetic ingenuity. An application form can be downloaded. It is also available at SM Bureau Amsterdam (Rozenstraat 59). No closing date listed. 
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The Stedelijk Museum has announced a three year sponsorship agreement with Ahold which operates supermarkets across Europe and the USofA.
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https://www.museumtickets.com/    is a Dutch national, on-line-museum-ticketing portal developed by http://thetube.nl/  The site serves as an online travel cultural guide...the best hotels, restaurants and luxurious retail shops..." You can purchase tickets for museums, etc on line. 
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This from www.DutchNews.nl: November was the second warmest since 1901. the average temperature was 9.5 Celsius compared to 6.2 Celsius. And it was the third warmest autumn." on the negative side it was also wetter than normal. 3D can live with that. It's the cold that gets to my bones.
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...Also, from the same source: "Estimates show the Netherlands has some 30,000 to 40,000 marijuana plantations [one was discovered with 15,000 plants]. Some 80-90% is for export...There is a growing export sector which is damaging out image," so says the Public Prosecution Department. "[It] estimates the Dutch marijuana industry to turn over between 2.5 - 5 billion euro making the plant one of the country's biggest cash crops behind tomatoes and cucumbers." Hmmm...the country also has the lowest unemployment rate in the EU. Is there a connection?
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MUSEUM REVIEWS: 

"foam" presents an exhibition "of work by a new generation of photographers who work with the medium, of photography in a refreshingly uninhibited, unconventional and sometimes slightly anarchist way." That's how the catalog, to this show of five photographers, introduces them. And it's right on! Constant Dullaart is investigating photographic manipulation using PhotoShop software. The result is seen in this show with three nearly subliminal pieces one in which you can hardly perceive anything. He also hangs "Wave 1, 2 and 3," a series which the liner notes describe thusly: "The lenticular print originated in the 1940s but its quality has been greatly improved by contemporary digital developments." What you see is an ever changing image as you walk past any of these three captivating photos...Katja Matercreates geometric abstractions that are both real and imagined then photographs them. Neat! She also has an area to herself which consist both of a wall drawings and a photograph at the other end of the room. Both are different but also complimentary to the other.

Corriette Schoenaerts brings together a series of cut-out photographs and forms them into a composition then makes the print. Her piéce de résistance is an installation that creates the illusion of your being in a jungle. Twenty or more potted plants stand before a photographed projected to the wall behind. (See photo on this page)...Anne de Vries unites the diversity of found images by making and presenting collages attached to them. What we wee is a "floor piece" of nearly 20 wood forms with the a photo attached. it is more proper to describe it as an "installation." It is a new dimension and extinction of the photographic art. She also hangs a series of "Waves from the web" which have a beautiful and flowing imagery with a3D effect. Another piece is "Infinite Valve" which is a three layered dimensional photo with each layer having cut-out sections that create a peep-hole effect. Cool...Jaap Scheeren is represented by only one "object" and one photo----unless 3D missed something. the object is a fake pigeon painted garishly in green and red. The photo pictures it with the title "Pigeon always wanted to be a parrot." Hey, why not? then it would have someone to talk to. Until 21st February. https://bit.ly/2Lavlwl 
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At Museum Huis Marseille is a very special exhibition titled "OIL" by the Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky. He is concerned with all aspects of the subject from its extraction to its consumption and every step in between. He pictures its consumption with these huge over sized photographs of stock car racing, American housing subdivisions to an outdoor "warehouse" for US Air Force mothballed B-52s in the Arizona desert. He uses oil as a visual theme allowing him to photograph landscapes and derelict derricks to a panoramic city scape of an LA intersection with its Exxon, Shell and Sunoco gas stations to a "circle traffic ramp" in Shanghai to America's urban monotony. Other photos capture oil in its ugliness a storage space for old oil grimy oil barrels; "ship breaking" of old tankers in India...The imagery is like a devastated landscape scared beyond rehabilitation. 

It quickly becomes obvious that he is an accomplished photographer but what makes the show so special is the several different ways he has approached the theme and not just by the subject matter, but in his imagery of it from the abstract to "posing" to the use of conceptual redundancy the B-52s line up one after another row upon row. There are other examples of his using conceptual redundancy to not so much to tell the story but to emphasize the waste. The waste in the making of war machinery and the waste in keeping them operating by using this precious and limited resource. A good exhibition and one that you can't help to see on its different levels. The press release ends with: "To him, the bottom line is, 'all citizens of the world use oil---a lot of it.'" Until 28th February. https://www.huismarseille.nl/ 

The Catalog: 

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RESTAURANT REVIEW:

It is not often 3D writes a restaurant review because it is not that often I eat in one. What motivated this particular review was an opening at the Dutch Design Hotel Artemis last Thursday. As always, they offered a tasting of their current seasonal menu. There were also several artists and designers showing and it wasn't until 20:15 that I had completed taking notes concerning every one's work. I then made my way to the food islands for a sampling. A few people has already came to me to tell me about the "steak" and how good it was. Well, 3D considers himself more of a "gourmet" than a "gourmand" so I sought out the salad table (more abut that later). when I was finished I looked for the "steak" section and finding none, I asked one of the waiters where it was? "Op!" I was told. All gone. Rats! A few minutes later, the chef approached me and I said I had heard about the "steak" and was disappointed that it was gone. Otilio (the head honcho in the kitchen) asked me if I was busy on Sunday night? And when I answered that my "dance card" was indeed free, he invited me for dinner. 

Sunday is a very good day to visit the Artemis restaurant. Sunday is the day with the lowest occupancy rate for the hotel and as a result the restaurant neither crowded nor too busy. I started with the same salad that had been offered at the opening which is "Shaken, not stirred" and titled as such with inspiration from the James Bond' film. I'm glad I did. While it was the nearly the same salad as that served at the opening but a little bit more in ingredients as well as quantity. First of all, the "greens" are a mixture of rocket and "land cress" (no, not "watercress"). The greens come in a large container, the dressing in a separate glass and another container holds the add-ons like: pine nuts, sliced black olives, mini red and yellow tomatoes---the size of marbles---as well as balls of mozzarella in the same size. There are slices of miniature zucchini as well. this was my first experience with the miniature tomatoes and zucchini. Delicious. And where do they buy them? Small croutons and two sprigs of asparagus where included. The dressing was an oil and vinegar. You "shake" the dressing with the greens yourself. I had sparkling Voss water with the course. Water goes better with a salad than wine because of the vinegar in the dressing. 

And I wanted to taste the wine when it came time. At a restaurant where I expect the food to be good I always ask for the house wine. It is not only the least expansive, but nine times out of ten the chef tries very hard to find an exceptional wine to label "house wine." I'm not often disappointed with this strategy. And indeed, you are offered two choices of a red or a white house wine. I selected the "Les Cazalets" a Merlot (4.50 euro/glass). the other on offer is "Saint-Chinian Réserve" (5.50 euro/glass). Both are French and the Merlot proved to go very well with the meat. 

The entree. At the opening everyone who remarked about the meat---one person admitted to having had four portions---mentioned "steak." The name of this dish is "Rusty Nail" (in the states, this is a cocktail). But it is not from beef but lamb. Very succulent baby lamb. I had forgotten to specify having it cooked as "rare," but no matter, the cook knew what he was doing and cooked it rare just as it should be. It is served as a kebab with both yellow paprika, red onion and mushrooms on a skewer which is a real "nail," but in this case it is a new nail (20 cms long) and not rusted. No matter. The lamb had been marinated in olive oil with garlic and an Indian spice called vadouvan which is a combination of fermented spice's and so perfectly formulated that I never found it necessary to add either salt or pepper. The meat was melt in the mouth tender and was served with its own small salad and different from the other with red lettus. The French Fries were closer to what the English call "chips" than to the Vlaams or French variety. As a result there was more potato flavor and less oiliness to them. 

The waiter asked if I wanted the ice cream dessert that had been served at the opening on a oyster's shell. Well, it had been an unusually tasty treat. The chef had created a unique sauce. He took white wine and added cinnamon sticks and hot and spicy red peppers, fresh ginger and cooked this a while. Finally---and the finishing touch___he added sugar and vodka and reduced it to a syrup. Fantastic! But I had had it and something had caught my eye when I examined the menu: Artemis Pie! 

Artemis Pie: there should be a law against it! It would be easy to become addicted to this chocolate version of heaven. The Dutch have an expression about how an outstanding dessert is "like an angel pissing on the tongue!" In this case, it was a band of angels who had been drinking liters of beer all night long pissing on my tongue. The chocolate "pie" does not come in a wedge by a half cone shaped serving. Its texture is somewhere between chewy fudge and fluffy mousse. It was served with a piece of honeycombed dark chocolate and specially prepared black cherries. It didn't look like much on the large plate, but it was only my own gluttony that made me scrape the dish clean. Damn, forgot to ask how much the salad was, but the "Rusty Nail" is a real bargain meal at 19:50 and the "pie" is 8.50. The menu is limited, but each dish comes across sounding like a work of art; even the hamburger: the "Big Mac Artemis," which is a double burger, with French Fries it is only 13.50 euro. For vegetarians there is "Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms: mushrooms stuffed with a mousse made from egg-plant caviar [sic], grated chaource cheese from the French Bourgogne region and garnished with pumpkin and citrus chutney. Damn, 3D is hungry all over again. http://www.artemisamsterdam.com/nl/, Reservations: expo@aeonplazahotels.com 
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WHAT YOU MISSED LAST WEEK: 

Thursday:

Dutch Design Hotel Artemis (John M. Keynesplain 2) group shows are always worth the long bike ride to the edge of the city. This one is no exception. Werner Breur was an art teacher and a designer and maker of custom-made furniture. He now does sculpture work and he is inspired by horns of different animals. What results is conceptual sculpture. A piece made with very log horns framing a cow like skull made of wood is monumental. Well, that doesn't really describe it. It is more complicated than that and at 250 cms., high and priced at 2,150 euro it is a steal and well worth making the trip to see it next to the check in desk in the hotel's lobby. ..Edith van Olst creates a wall hanging which is a mixed media piece construction piece. She starts with old floor planks aligned to which she adds various materials like old tin, barbed wire and whatnot that create an abstraction thus the work expresses itself as a geometrically and in b/w and shades of gray. Nice! It measures about 250 cms., high and 90 cms., across; priced at 1,250 euro it is very cheap!

Dorren Westphal does like nor approve of waste. 3D experienced this first hand, but won't go into it here. She creates consumer goods like purses, carrying bags, suitcases etc., from old rubber inner tubes. he were see a walking hanging made of metal wire and cement geometric abstract designs which is "lighter" than it looks, she says. You purchase it in sections measuring 330x75 cms., and arrange them side by side and as long as you need (1,250 euro./section). Also she is showing vases and serving trays and bowls also made from a new generation of cement which is light in weight but still strong. The designs are all simple and a flat gray in color and "decorate" with small pot holes and the final result is elegant.

Well, this is nice! Emiel van Boekel has made a standing "sculpture" piece about 175 cms., high which is a study in conceptual redundancy. The has taken blocks of wood from 20 to 30 cms.m, long, put each piece on a lathe and turned them into look alike glass jars about the size of Coca cola and wine bottles. He has then sitting on seven layered shelves each level with a different shape and size and a total of about 200. Price, 16,000 euro...Joop Haring makes monumental architectural forms using various materials like metal, bronze and ceramic. They each stand from 50 to 120 cms., high. there are smaller pieces as well with intricate figuration which are not only unusual, but sometimes funny too. (2,650 - 7,000 euro). 

Conceptual expressionism done with a minimum of color explains Margje Teeuwen paintings which have a flow that seem t come from some inner force. A diptych in one color---and its degrees---is a standout. In addition, she designs laptop carrying bags decorated with street art like designs in a subdued way. They a have an added feature of opening into a beach or picnic blanket. The price is only 100 euro and for 130 euro she will "special customize" one to your demands....along the columns that line the restaurant there are sculptured wall hangings made from wire and/or plastic material in forms. they are all monochromatic and I was able to only find one that had a price tag. It was about 30 cms., across and 275 euro.

Marianne Kemp works with horse hair and weaves it into linear abstractions through the canvas. Also she weaves small tapestries using the same horse hair. In the lobby, hanging from the ceiling is a mobile which is also an installation since it is divided into seven individual sections. each one is circular and the diameters of each range from about 40 to 200 cms., and priced at 5,000 euro...Have you ever heard of ""foam porcelain?" Due to an error in calculation Marjan van Aubel serendipitously created a new material. Foam porcelain expands to three times its volume in a kiln, "the result is a very light, but extremely strong porcelain." She has fabricated a standing chest with five shelves from it. The look is booth conceptual and free form and the result is utilitarian. Cool! (10,000 euro.) ...Another designer, Sjoerd Jonkers also discovered a new material. He is "casting plastic over a positive sand mold, resulting in a hand casted and unique plastic tableware." his collection of "Neoplastic" tableware consist o: containers, mugs, bowls, plates, dishes, mugs and jugs in various sizes. Damn, forgot to check the prices...finally, there is Reiner Bosch's "stove table." It is an object; it is a piece of sculpture; it is an utilitarian piece. It can be used as a room heater. the "stove" is part of the table and the heat travels through the metal table like through a radiator. The heat's intensity can be regulated. There is piping to remove the smoke from the room. He days, "My inspiration came from my journey through China, where I saw people living around the fire place to cook, keep warm and socialize." Neat. Until 3rd March. www.artemisamsterdam.com, https://thisissaf.com/ 
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Friday:

"cbk amsterdam" (Oranje-Vrijstaatkade 71). This was 3D's first visit to "cbk" new location. It is a spectacular space. Big, high and open. They will be able to exhibited anything they want. There are no physical limitations. the show which opened this week is an exhibition for Arie Kater (1922-1977) who made drawings and illustrations and generally in b/w. I read somewhere that what makes the drawing technique so special and artistically challenging is that it is the creation of an illusion. Indeed, Kater understood that axiom very well. His strokes are quick to the paper; a few and simple lines. he gives depth to his imagery by using a variety of harnesses of pencil and/or charcoal. With his pen and ink drawings it is a matter of using a pen or brush, diluting or not diluting the ink. He is a master of contrast between the black ink and the white paper. There is a drawing of Don Quixote mounted on a horse which manages to convey the humor of Cervantes' characterization and story. His colored washes and watercolors are no less masterfully. There is the drawing of the screaming woman which conveys all the emotion of the incident. there are two water colors, each showing a man holding a red flag that is captivating in all respects. His homage to Rembrandt is mesmerizing. Until 7th February. http://www.cbkamsterdam.nl/ 
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The Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten has its open ateliers last weekend. If you didn't go, it is too late and too bad. It was one of the better group shows of the year and one of the best showing for Rijksakademie students over the last few years. There are about 50 studios in this old early 19th century cavalry stable. Every year, 25 students are replaced with a new "incoming class." But just because you missed the exhibition doesn't mean that you can't see a major portion of the work that was on display. Since 2008 "artist donate works of art which will be sold through galleries from studios or online at the fund's web-site [Rijksakademie Artists' Endowment Fund (RAEF)]. The kick off will take place with a big international benefit auction at Sotheby's Amsterdam, in the spring of 2010." the proceeds go to benefit future students who will be studying there. Those donating include former students, advisers and Prix de Rome participants. The following is only a snap shot of what you missed.

Go Eun Im does unusual "video art." And it is "ART" with capital letters. One piece is an aquarium with gold fish. It sits on a high table between two walls. One one wall there is a projector and it cast its projected image to the other wall and through the fish bowl thus including that imagery in the final composition. 3D said jokingly, "What do the gold fish think about being under the spotlight." she directed me to read from a sheet of paper attached to the wall. It was a disclaimer which explain that this was not cruel to the gold fish, etc., etc., etc. One another two walls at the entrance to the room was a very unusual projected piece. She had taken a vintage b/w film clip (c 1920 or so) and using mirrors and focuses the imagery on the two walls perpendicular to each other. 

LucFosther Diop presents "World Flirt," an installation consisting of about 160 plus world national flags. Each is cut in the shape of a hand. There is a fan that creates a furling effect like flags in the wind (410x410x105 cms., circular.)...Alice Nikitinova makes the simple dramatic. She does it with minimally painted forms and monochromatic objects. Nice...Sarah Verbeek is an expressionistic painter where the walls that the work hangs on become part of the composition. the room as a result is an "installation...Alexandra Demenkova does b/w photographic portraits of, mostly, the sordid side of night life...Sharon Houkema has taken 40 film clips---sound and all---and projected them on four walls in a continuous horizontal line. Each is in a loop of 1'22". At the entrance there is a credit list naming the title and director of each one. The cacophony sounds enhances the experience.

Plivi Takala's "Real Snow White" was an experience. She dressed up as Walt Disney's Snow White and visited Euro Disney. I think Walt, himself, would have liked it, but the park's security officials told her to go and change in a touilet or leave. As she walks through the park to the exit, she is stopped and asked for autographs and to have here picture taken with young children. A guard appears and takes her by the arm. Boo, the story moves quickly and indeed holds your attention like a Hollywood film done well...On entering the east wing of the building you are saluted by three robotic sentries...That doesn't say much and you really had to see them to appreciate the whole thing. Couldn't find any attribution, sorry...Vitshois Mwilambwe Bondo, well, what to make of the headless person---actual size---holding a gun and its transparent body is made up of dolls heads and their appendages. He also hangs collage/paintings and uses the same concept of filling in the body with cut-out faces from magazines. It is like a homage to an engraving done by William Hogarth around 1750.

Frank Koolen has made a two by four meter installation? Object? Whatever. It is made of real tree logs bounded together like the way you make a raft. He then has taken synthetic material in colorful geometric designs---and one in b/w checker board squares---and they ride the "raft." This is all against a wall "tapestry"measuring three by three meters which is another geometric abstraction from small cylindrical plastic pieces...Rumiko Hagiwara"s "Exercise Ball" is a visual experience. It's just a red/orange ball painted or printed on white fabric, but, oh, how it projects from 10 meters away (70x90 cms.)...Istvan Ist Huzjan shows a wall of five video "portraits." That is, the people are being filmed standing in a stationary position as if frozen on the spot. Cool effect.

Typography is hot! Andy Wauman, Philippe van Wolputte and Melanie Bonajo have created a visual delight. An installation that is mysterious, exotic, funny, thought provoking and a visual experience in b/w plus a little touch of color....Papa Adama announces his studio room with his name sign up side down. Okay. I first saw him at the SBK space "Galerie 23" about two or more years ago. his sculptured reptiles made of painted tin and his people of the same material got my attention. His paintings were busy, somewhat crude and had a naïve quality. what we see her are sculpted imagery of the same material as before and paintings. But the latter are much more mature less busy, more simple in composition but still with their vibrant sensibility. He hung 25 paintings measuring in size from 50x50 cms., to 200x300 Cms, which was a naïve city scape. What better place then to end here....
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Saturday:

At "GALERIE bart" (Bloemgracht 2) is the work of Willem Weismann who achieves so much in his paintings and lino cut prints that it is difficult to put your finger on any one individual element that makes for the piece's essence. What exemplifies this dilemma is "Doppelganger index" a large canvas measuring 190x240 cms., (@ 9,000 euro). The composition is divided into several enclosed rectangles and squares. Some of the imagery is representational renderings (an automobile engine in shades of gray; a "ghost" in white and gray; to a colorful parrot and a bouquet of flowers) to twelve plus sections that are pure expressionism done with the brush strokes of an impressionist. "Vigil"(120x100 cms., @ 5,500 euro) is captivating because it is a figurative linear abstraction which includes a nearly subliminal "portrait." There are four b/w lino cuts which as representational geometric abstractions. That may sound like a contradiction of terms and it is, but Weismann makes it work in a dramatic way. Until 2nd January, 2010. https://bit.ly/2m4yS4n  
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Two artist are showing at RON MANDOS (Prisengracht 282). "Black Lung" is the title of Renie Spoelstra's works in black much as the show title indicates. And "black" is accurate where b/w is not. The drawings---both the large and small---look almost monochromatic black. The imagery is subliminal. You must look into the work to define the representational aspect. But the artist triumphs by making you take the effort. (30x40 cms., charcoal @ 2,400 euro; 60x70 cms., charcoal @ 3,700 euro; 240x350 cms., charcoal @ 15,000 euro.) 8 red dots at opening. 

In the back gallery is Brigitte Waldach with "INLAND." She has a simple minimalistic figurative style. A diptych (each section in a different dimensions) is all red against an all white background. She uses typography to create the illusion of a horizon. A fascinating diptych features the same man three times. In the left canvas, he is full body; and the right one, one figure is up to his knees in water and the other is in water up to his waist. The illusion of a body of "water" is achieved, again, with typography. One line reads, "Sometimes I hear voices." Hey, that's okay as long as you don't initiate a dialog. (145x140 cms., gouache, pigmentation on handmade paper @ 6,500 euro; Dip tych: 145x140 & 70x50 cms., gouache and pigmentation on handmade paper @ 9,000 euro.) Until 9th January, 2010. https://bit.ly/1NONWvU 
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M. van Zomeren (Prinsengracht 276) shows a group show with 11 artists. Jan Fabre (Belgium) is hanging a series of 12 ball point drawings which appear on the surface as studies in the engraving technique "hatching." But on closer examination the figurative elements express themselves...The prints of Louise Bourgeois were not what 3D expected from the "spider queen." The work in b/w and blue shades is figurative with a surreal tinch. The technique is listed as aquatint, dry point, engraving, Ed. 30, each 75x86.5 cms. There is one Robbert Mapplethorpe in the show. It is a collection of three snapshots and appears to be a self portrait of a young Mapplethorpe. He turns it into a conceptual piece in a very simple and original way. Nice. 3D asked for a price list but was told by the gallery holder, "" I keep that in confidence," whatever that means. Until 9th January. http://martinvanzomeren.nl/ 
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At GALERIE ROB KOUDIJS, the new jewelry gallery (Elandsgracht 12) is the work of Antje Fleischhut in a show titled, "Lost in translation and back to the moon." She takes plastic objects and coats them with epoxy which are then sometimes enhanced with precious stones, silver and or gold. She describes her work as "quasi-functional instruments of advancing communication between people."Indeed, wear any of these broaches (and there are only broaches on display) to a party and you'll get someone attention. finally, she "gives disregarded forms expressive power and finds a subtle balance between glaring or faded colors." (1,200 to 4,300 euro.) Until 16th January, 2010. https://bit.ly/2L7XHqQ 
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Peter Schuyff hangs work at GALERIE GABRIEL ROLT (Elandsgracht 34). he had purchased a series of 19th century black wash portraits "signed" by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Rubens, et al. He has enhanced each of them with geometric abstract forms in b/w. A great way to recycle copies while at the same time reinventing them and making them originals. Clever. he is also hanging oils and the imagery resembles the geometric abstraction of a cyclone fence. he changes the conceptual redundancy of the form into one that evolves in each work. the work has both depth and contrast which is surprising considering its simplicity of style and technique. Footnote: This is Schuyff first solo exhibition in Holland for 15 years. (26x21 cms., acrylic on old paper @ 1,500 euro; 37x31 cms., acrylic on old paper, 19th century drawings @ 2,750 euro; 100x80 cms., oil on canvas @ 10,000 euro.) Until 9th January, 2010. http://www.gabrielrolt.com/
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At Galerie W. van Leeuwen (Hazenstraat 27) is "Fräulein" by Ellen von Unwerth. An interesting photography show. Von Unwerth is a fashion photographer, but the work showing wear many hats. There are six color photos and each tend to have some humor to them. On the other hand, the b/w work emulates the style you would expect to see in Berlin during the 20s and 30s. Her posing is at times erotic or just mysterious and captivating. There are a few examples of motion photography as well. (1994-2009: 40x50 cms., Ed. 15 @ 4,400 euro.) Until 2nd January, 2010. http://www.woutervanleeuwen.com/ 
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Oscar Voch is showing his photographs at GALERIE RUDOLFV (Kerkstraat 427). It is all in b/w and the imagery is a marriage between that of Man Ray and René Margriette. While each piece could be defined as a study in contrast there is the element of symbolism which while sometimes subtle is also sometimes ironic and sometimes just obvious. Good work (325 to 1,400 euro)...Emmanuel Chantebout made a trip to China and now illustrates what he saw. the country has a world's largest population and in each of his paintings there are sometimes as many as 100 people pictured. But that's only one level. The compositions work on different levels from a historical representation of Communist China to abstractions. (8020 cms., @ 600 euro; 40x1`50 cms., @ 1,600 euro.) ...Yvonne Dollé does bronze group scenes three, five or 13 figures sitting on a wall. nice effect. Oops, forgot to check the price....Irene van den Bos paints in a figurative expressionistic style which projects on both levels.. The compositions are busy, but with enough nuances to make them interesting and revealing (100x40 cms., @ 650 euro; 150x180 cms., @ 5,500 euro). 3D's apologizes to Kraien Froeling. I seem to have confused her sculptured work with Dollé. Until 9th January, 2010. https://bit.ly/2mdb7ay 
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"deSERVICEGARAGE" (Stephensonstraat 156) celebrated its second anniversary in grand style. Twelve artist showed and 3D made notes concerning nearly all. There was a schematic guide available so you could identify who did what, but with some work I was confused. So, if I got it wrong...Sorry! Frank Ammerlaan is one artist that I may or may not being giving the proper credit to for his two large (250x200 cms) paintings. One is nearly monochromatic in black. The other large one is a study in gray intersected with blue. the smaller canvases are dark and moody, but beckon to you...Nathan van Heijnsbergen also does large paintings. One is about 300x250 cms., and in sections of five tables, but it is really a linear abstraction in b/w. Very nice...Zoro Feigl has fashioned from a canvas hose that is about 10 cms., in diameter, a "snake" that measures four x three x three meters. It is fueled with compress air and as a result it "coils" and "uncoils."Cool!...Martha Benedikte Hjorth Jessen (that's a mouthful) has made a hard cardboard constrcution piece that is inspired by a Buckminiter Fuller Geodesdic dome that made have been designed by Frank Gehry. Yeah, well, you gotta see it...Object? Or sculpture? No matter. Fraser Stewart's piece looks like a very big child's sandbox (about two x two meters x 50 cms). Overhead is a large plaster box in which a section has been cut out and that section has fallen into the sandbox. Again, you gotta see it...Charlott Ammerland shows a large back lit photograph that comes across as an expressionist work...This is a cool installation. Linda Nieuwstad has taken a large sheet of wood and positioned it like a ramp . Atop are about 30 objects and easily identifiable as: a table, water can, suitcase, cylinder, giraffe...giraffe? But what sets everything off is that she has wrapped each piece in brown paper and secured the seems with masking tape. Each piece of the tape is the same size (about two x four cms) and places each section only a few cms from the other section. It is a study in conceptual redundancy. Your mind does see the imagery, but it also sees the geometric abstraction of the overall piece which ranges from 40 cms., off the floor to about 3.5 meters high. Cool! Well, that's a little over half the artists showing. Go and see and evaluate the rest for yourself. Until 20th December. https://bit.ly/2m7z16Y 
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KochxBos (1e Anjeliersdwarstraat 3) presented Meryl Donoghue (nee Ciou) for a book signing of "Chat Siamois," with story by Bianco. The story is about the death and rebirth of a cat. Recommended ages for reading is teens to adults; discretion advised for children. Here exhibition is still on display. She does weird photographs anas well as drawings and colored canvases. The photo that was featured for the show's poster had eight red dots. https://bit.ly/2NBWmue 

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FOCUS GALERIE (Herenstraat 32) is a new gallery, however 3D is unsure whether is is permanent. It is a recently renovated space and someone said something to the effect that it would be a gallery until it is rented. Doesn't matter. The first show is worth a visit. Let's start with "big" first. Jantien Jongsma who 3D has been following for 15 years or more continues to evolve with her style. She is hanging a 240x450 mixed media piece (gouache chalk, color pencil on paper @ 4,500 euro) which is influenced by Pieter Bruegel in the figurative imagery if not the composition, but the latter to a lesser extinct. But the composition and the geometric abstraction forms make it a contemporary work. Also she is showing smaller works...Moritz Ebinger 3D has followed even longer starting in the 80s. His drawings have always in a unique category with their quirky surrealistic quality. Here there is a large paintings that is not much more than a line drawing and more simple than his drawings. But in a departure he is showing photographic beenwork done in Aruba where he spent time as an artist in residence. He constructed "maneuverable sculptures, placed them underwater then dove and photographed his work," and titles the series "Arubian Underwater Sculptural Photography pieces.

Jac Bisschops hangs his simple and elegant linear abstraction in gold and white...Sam Drukker is represented with a self portrait on canvas...Paul de Reus has two pieces on display. One is more of an installation while the other is a figurative sculpture, but weird. It stands perhaps three+ meters high and the image is of a man holding a child on his shoulders. this banal posing is made interesting by the fact that the little girls dress covers his head like an umbrella. In a corner there is a piece in several parts: a little boy with a bird on his head; a monkey, a pussy cat, small elephant, etc. Playful and fun. Hmmm...3D must have been distracted. I didn't make notes for the other artists. Sorry! Until 17th January, 2010. No web-site on invite. 
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At G.Gallery (Singel 188) is an exhibition for Netty Klomp. She paints very colorful geometric abstract pieces on canvas with both a naïve quality. It is the naïve factor that sets her apart from others doing geometric abstraction. The style is often boring because it is so redundant in what has come before. This is not the case here. She has enhanced both the works style, forms and colors by making frames for many of the pieces which extend the compositions. The frames range from the simple (except for the colors) to the elaborate which are almost sculptured. (40x50 cms., acrylic on canvas @ 600 euro; 60x40 with sculpted frame, acrylic on canvas @ 800 euro; 60x90 cms., sculpted frame, acrylic on canvas @ 1,250 euro.) Until __?__. No web-site available. 
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WHAT IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK: 

Reminder: The (?) indicates that the info could be incorrect; and the "*" implies the same thing. You are advised to check the web-site. This has been a disclaimer...

THURSDAY: 3rd December, 2009
THURSDAY: 3rd December, 2009 

16:00 De Nederlandsche Bank (Westeinde 1). Aline Thomassen, drawings and water colors. By invite only. https://bit.ly/2A7eS6y 

19:30-21:00 Op Stekker (Noorderstraat 61). Els Ritman's "Mijn Dordogne." 

20:00 Lloyd Hotel (Oostelijk Handelskade 34). "Clean Drink Meeting. Clean stands for the 'new green,' where there are no restrictions and everything in luxury and sustainability is possible." 

20:00 DasArts (Mauritskade 56). "Open Lab-Learning by Teaching." A group of ten international performers "were assigned to make their own lesson-performance or performance-lesson and dictate not only its content but also its form. FREE. https://bit.ly/2LaqQBY 

20-to late W139 (Warmoestraat 139). "Why Not! is a contemporary dance festival...An evening with dance from emerging choreographers, Cinedans and a lot of improvisation...with live music." http://www.festivalwhynot.nl/ 

FRIDAY: 4th December
FRIDAY: 4th December 

13-17:00 Galerie Libbe Venema (Hogeweg 2a). "WELTSCHMERTZ," Jacob Kleyn, large drawings on canvas and paper. No formal opening.  

16:00 Galerie Mokum (OZ Voorburgwal 334). Mariet van Hövell tot Westerflier, representational. www.galeriemokum.com

(?) 17-19:00 A. Gelink Gallery (Laurierstraat 187). David Malikovic, Ryan Gander and Marijke van Warmerdam. https://bit.ly/2u9Hxa3 

17-20:00 Chwellerie (Raamgracht 58). "iLLUMELAS High Arts: Unity of Opposites." Ä"A gooup show by revolutionary international artists. Live Art, Live Music." Six artists. Closes Sunday. 

20:00-22:00 ABC Treehouse (Voetboogstraat 11). The Theaterwork Amsterdam presents Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." "You've seen the movie, sung along with the musical...now you can watch the book!" Entry: 5 euro. Reservations required: donna@abc.nl 

SATURDAY: 5th DECEMBER
SATURDAY: 5th DECEMBER 

17-19:00 Galerie Torch (Lauriergract 94) Edward Burtynsky, "Oil." A continuation of his show now at Huis Marseilles (see review above). https://bit.ly/2L7qYSK 

20:00 Mediamatic BANK (Vijzelstraat 68). "Bigger than Beneton" opens seven pavilions: Bamakoo, Bogota, Seoul, Stuttgart, St. Petersburg, Tokyo and Toronto...A total evening experience of music, art, video, food, photography and performances from four continents in just four hours time...including Canada campfires, German gastronomy, Seoul street food, Russian rebels, African adventures, Colombian charms and Tokyo Temptations." So what will they do for an encore? Amsterdam Regurgitated? FREE. www.mediamatic.net/biennale.

SUNDAY: 6th DECEMBER
SUNDAY: 6th DECEMBER 

15-17:00 Beeldend Gesproken (Borgerstraat 102). Kare's "InnerVisions." https://bit.ly/2uoSyDX 

15-19:00 An Open Atelier (Tussen de Bogen 97). Sandra Hoogeboom, photography, mixed media and "LastLove sigarettenkunst." The 3D does not generally list a single "open atelier." However, there is something being presented by this ex-smoker and, who knows, maybe it will aid those now trying to quit. http://blog.sandrahoogeboom.com/ 

(?)17-19:00 MLB Expositieruimte (Witte de Withstraat 32). Minka van Stoutwenburg 

WEDNESDAY: 9th December
WEDNESDAY: 9th December 

17-19:00 Melkweg Galerie (Marnixstraat 409, enter via Eat@Jo's Cafe). "Religious Curaçao, Rituals and Traditions," by Sinaya Wolfert. https://bit.ly/2umltIE 

THURSDAY: 10th December
THURSDAY: 10th December 

17:30-18:00 Smart Project Space (A.rie Biemondstraat 105). Book launch and artist talk. "Ducha," by Ksenia Galiaeva. FREE.

19-23:00 Noorderkerk (Prinsengracht and Brouwersgracht). " The Extra Light: Installation." Think of light and fog: "When you enter [the church] it is in a sense another world." " An event that could be an art work or an event that could be a religious experience or experiment." Take your choice. https://bit.ly/2KLmFQR 

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Hey, folks, it is an easy, easy week to see art. In fact. there isn't that much to do because of Sinterklaas. Therefore you are expected to do what there is to do and buy, Buy, BUy, BUY!!! Give the man with the white beard a run for gives the most...and make it ART.

Photos: 1) "3D lost in the jungle at "foam." "Hey, I don't like snakes!" he was heard to cry out,  photo Piet van der Meer, 2) "3D waiting for his chocolate letter...and if he doesn't get it, the big guy with the beard will be nixed from the 3D mailing list. Kid you not!", Photos and Webmaster :Piet van der Meer

http://gould3dlist.blogspot.nl/