Jan Meyer (artist)

Jan Meyer (also known as Jan Meijer) was born in 1927 in Assen, Nederland
and grew up on his father's farm in the countryside. He began drawing during the German occupation. Around 1944, he met Endrig Werkman, (lithographer and engraver) who was also printer for De Ploeg Group. Whose advices influenced him. Jan Meyer developed a working method that took his work away and beyond the careful provincial life depicted in his earlier work.
After the war, he met :nl:Evert_Rinsema|Evert Rinsema, one of the oldest members of “De Stijl” and an old friend of Theo van Doesburg. Through him, he discovered and admired the work of Piet Mondrian|Mondrian, and became acquainted with the Dada movement in Holland. Rinsema also introduced Jan to :fr:Ernst_Ludwig_Kirchner|Kirchner’s expressionist work. Jan’s life became a search for equilibrium between the nostalgic values of a balanced world, and his busy, expressive character.
During a short period he studied at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten|Rijksakademie and the Rijksopleiding voor Tekenleraren in Amsterdam. At the end of the 1940’s his work was exhibited together with the work of the “de Ploeg” artists. His palette was dominated by mauve, black and dark blue, with yellow breaking through.
The rough style of the French artist Jean Dubuffet|Dubuffet is visible on Jan Meyer’s paintings of the 1950’s, even though he didn't know the painter. From 1948, he frequently exposed his work at the gallery The Eendt in Amsterdam. His first solo exhibition abroad took place in 1957 in Paris, at the galerie Dina Vierny.
His exhibition at the :it:Premio_Lissone|Premio Lissone during a stay in Italy marked an important period in the artist’s life. Famous abstract artists frequented this place, such as :fr:Lucio_Fontana|Fontana, :fr:Antonio_Saura|Saura, Yves Klein|Klein, Karel Appel|Appel and :fr:Corneille_(artiste)|Corneille. Jan Meyer’s works can be assigned to the category of the “informele materie-schilders” (lyrical abstraction). In 1958, he was selected for the Grand Prix International de peinture while living in Nicolas de Staël’s atelier in Antibes. In 1960 he settled permanently outside Paris, in Dieudonné (where artists Raoul Ubac|Ubac and :fr:Pierre_Dmitrienko|Dmitrienko also resided) a little village in the Oise region. His frequent journeys - mostly to Greece and Egypt were an inexhaustible source of inspiration. Large thick layers of paint done knives are placed over each other, often with a dissipation of many colors.
== Artworks ==
=== Mural painting ===
* In collaboration with architect :nl:Dick_Greiner|Dick Greiner, the Heemstede Post Office.
=== Bibliophilic contributions ===
* Jan Meyer, Socrate, "le dernier souffle" by Sadi de Gorter (from the texts of the Phaedo narrated by Plato), series of twelve original carborundum engravings, Éditions La Mata, 1975.
*The catalogue published by the gallery La Pochade is accompanied by a text by Romain Gary on Jan Meyer.
* Sadi de Gorter, Oasis spontanées, thirty poems illustrated with fifteen carborundum engravings and nineteen graphical reflections by Jan Meyer, Éditions Alphée, Monaco, 1976.
== Solo shows ==
* Galerie Van Lier, Amsterdam, 1948.
* Musée provincial, Assen, 1950.
* Galerie Le Canard, Amsterdam, 1951, 1961.
* Galerie Raymond Creuze, Paris, March 1952.
* Galerie Prinsentium, Leeuwarden, 1953.
* Centre culturel d'Emmen (Drenthe), 1953.
* Galerie Mark Van Waay, Amsterdam, 1954.
* Galerie Jansonies, Wintscholen, 1954.
* Tewentsche Bank, Amsterdam, 1955.
* Galerie Hella Hebelung, Düsseldorf, 1955.
* Galerie Dina Vierny, Paris, 1957.
* Galerie Alphonse Chave, Vence, 1958.
* Galerie Poligliani, Rome, 1959.
* Galerie Santee Landweer, Amsterdam, 1960.
* Galerie De Eendt, Amsterdam, 1961.
* John Cooper Gallery, London, 1964.
* Galerie de Sfinx, Amsterdam, 1966.
* Galerie Rive Droite (Jean Larcade), Paris, 1966, 1968, 1979.
* Galerie Van Lier, Blaricum, 1971.
* Aula University, Leiden 1972 : Exhibition of the two paintings owned by The Hague Museum, projection of the documentary "Jan Meyer dans son atelier" by Gerard Thomas d'Hoste in 1969.
* Netherlands Institute for Art History|Institut Néerlandais, Paris, 1974.
* Galerie Simone Heller, Paris, 1974.
* Galerie Herteveld, Maarsen, 1975.
* Galerie La Pochade, Paris, March 1976.
* Oasis Spontanées, :fr:Musée_Van_Gogh|Musée Van Gogh, Amsterdam, 1977.
* Rozengalerie, Amsterdam, 1977.
* Galerie Jean Lacarde, Paris, 1979
* Galerie Horn, Pays Bas, 1980 : Book presentation "Socrates, The Last Breath" and original paintings by Professor JJ van Lochem.
* Galerie Matus, Montreal, October 1982.
* Galerie Wisselingh, Amsterdam, 1982.
* Galerie Jurka, Amsterdam, 1985.
* Galerie Protée, Paris, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993.
* Galerie Agartha, Paris, 1987.
* Galerie Cupillard, Grenoble, 1988.
* Galerie Protée, Toulouse, 1990.
* Galerie Raymond Banas, Metz, 1995
* Galerie Arnoux, Paris, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2015.
* Galerie Rafael, Francfort, 2004.
* Galerie Van den Planken, Antwerp, 2015.
* Galerie Arnoux, Paris, 2016.
== Collective exhibitions ==
* Groupe De Ploeg, Amsterdam, 1947, Groningue, 1948, Delft, 1950.
* Galerie De Eendt, Amsterdam, from 1948.
* Redfern Gallery, Londres, 1952.
* Jan Meyer and Erasmus Herman van Dulmen Krumpelman [nl], Kunsthall, Groningue, 1952.
* Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam|Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1954, 1960, 1961, 1962.
* Selection of foreign prices, Musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris, 1957.
* Prix Lissone, Italy, 1959, 1965.
* Musée Picasso de Vallauris, Picasso, Fernand Léger and l'École de Paris, 1958, Jeune École de peinture, 1962.
* Galerie Craven, Paris, 1960.
* Galerie Le Fleuve, Paris, 1961.
* Seattle Art Museum, 1961.
* The Peter Stuyvesant collection, Stedelijk Museum d'Amsterdam, 1962, Berlin, 1962, Musée national d'Australie-Méridionale, Adélaïde (Australie)|Australie, 1963, Tokyo, 1964, Musée d'art contemporain de Caracas, 1984.
* Galerie du Bastion, Antibes, 1962–1963.
* Galerie René de Laporte, Antibes, 1962–1963.
* Galerie Cavalero, Cannes, 1962.
* Twenty young Dutch painters today (with Jan Meyer were exhibited Karel Appel, Gerrit Benner, Kees van Boemen, Eugène Brands|Eugen Brands, Constant Nieuwenhuys|Constant, Corneille (artiste)|Corneille, Jef Diederen, Edgar Fernhout, Jan Van Hell|Jan van Heel, Friso Ten Holt, Willem Hussem, Ger Lataster, Lucebert, Jaap Nanninga, Anton Rooskens, Pierre van Soerst, Gérard Verdijk, Jaap Wagemaker, Theo Wolvecamp|Théo Wolvecamp), Palais des beaux-arts de Bruxelles, 1962.
* Galerie Paul Heim, Paris, 1965.
* Galerie d'art, Beauvais, 1964.
* O'Hana Gallery, Londres, 1965.
* Musée municipal de La Haye|Musée municipal, La Haye, 1965.
* Galerie 24, Paris, 1965.
* Galerie Jean Lacarde, Paris, 1967.
* Salon Comparaisons, Paris, 1968.
* "Bolide Design", Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Member of the selection panel with Joe Colombo, R. Delpire, F. Mathey, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Roger Tallon, Jean Tinguely et Victor Vasarely, Paris, 1970.
* Palais des beaux-arts de Bruxelles|Palais des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles : 20 artists selected by Hans Jaffé (with Appel, De Kooning...). 1975.
* The collection Peter Stuyvesant, Museum of Modern Art, Caracas, 1984.
* Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain|FIAC, works on paper, stand Galerie Brinkman (Amsterdam), Paris, 1985.
* FIAC, "Le silence et le cri" (with: Abboud, Benanteur, Bernois-Rigal, Guitet, Gardair, Pistre, Léon Zack|Zack, Pierre Fichet|Fichet, Bengt Lindström|Lindström, Georges Mathieu (artiste)|Mathieu, André Marfaing|Marfaing, Pelayo, Rocher et Roulin), stand Galerie Protée, Paris, 1986.
* FIAC, "Sensibilités Nordiques" Bengt Lindström & Jan Meyer, stand Galerie Protée, Paris, 1987.
* "Artmosphère V" (with Francis Bacon (artist)|Francis Bacon's paintings, Martin Bradley, Gaston Chaissac, Orlando Pelayo et Marta Colvin), hôtel de ville, Neuilly-sur-Seine, 1988. Atmosphère V", Catalogue de l'Exposition, Neuilly sur Seine 1988 .
* "48 à table", Galerie Lara Vincy, Paris, 1988.
* "Le Lieu... le Lit... Le Lien", exhibition, Association Villa Aubépine, Hötel de la Princesse Robech, Paris, 1988.
* Jan Meyer & Bengt Lindström, Galerie 7, Lyon, 1988.
* FACT Toulouse, introduced by the Protée gallery, 1990.
* De Pierre Bonnard|Bonnard à Georg Baselitz|Baselitz, ten years of enrichment of the cabinet des estampes, Bibliothèque nationale de France, 1992.Françoise Woimant, Marie-Cécile Miessner et Anne Mœglin Delcroix, De Bonnard à Baselitz - Estampes et livres d'artistes, B.N.F., 1992.
* Salon de Mars, stand Galerie Protée, Paris, 1993.
* Galerie Cueto, Paris, 1998.
* St-Art - European Fair of Contemporary Art, (stand Galerie Arnoux, avec Étienne Béothy, Francis Bott, Oscar Gauthier, Georges Noël, Jacques Germain, Lorris Junec, Jean Leppien, Wladyslaw Lopusniak, David Malkin, Henri Nouveau, Gérard Vulliamy - , Paris.), Strasbourg exhibition center, February 2003.
* ArtParis, stand Galerie Arnoux (along with Étienne Béothy|Étienne Béöthy, Huguette Arthur Bertrand|Huguette-Arthur Bertrand, Olivier Debré, Oscar Gauthier, Jean Leppien, Ernest van Leyden, David Malkin, Edgard Pillet|Edgar Pillet, Marie Raymond, Alfréd Réth|Alfred Reth, Gérard Schneider|Gerard Schneider , Gérard Vulliamy...), Paris 2008.
* St-Art - European Fair of Contemporary Art, (stand Galerie Arnoux, Paris), Strasbourg exhibition center, November 2012.
* St-Art - European Fair of Contemporary Art, (stand Galerie Arnoux, Paris), Strasbourg exhibition center, November 2013.
* " Strength and discretion " exhibition : Jan Meyer and Pierre Lemaitre|Pierre Lemaire, Arnoux Gallery, Paris, 2016.
== Awards and distinctions ==
* First prize for a mural project for the city of Amsterdam, in collaboration with the architect Herman Hertzberger and the sculptor Carel Kneulman, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 1954.
== Museums and public collections ==
=== France ===
* Musée des beaux-arts de Dijon, six oil paintingsMusée des beaux-arts de Dijon, Jan Meyer dans les collections [archive] including The Naxos Plateau, donated by Pierre and Kathleen GranvilleDominique Parizot, Notice sur "Le plateau de Naxos" dans l'ouvrage de Serge Lemoine Troisième donation Granville, Éditions du musée des beaux-arts de Dijon [archive]
* Musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris.
* Musée des arts décoratifs de Paris.
* Cabinet des estampes de la Bibliothèque nationale de France, ParisFrançoise Woimant, Marie-Cécile Miessner et Anne Mœglin Delcroix, De Bonnard à Baselitz - Estampes et livres d'artistes, B.N.F., 1992.
=== Danemark ===
* Jorn Museum, Silkeborg
=== Netherlands ===
* Kunstmuseum Den Haag
* :fr:Musée_régional_de_Drenthe.
* Museum van Bommel van Dam.
* Universitiets Museum, Amsterdam.
* Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
=== United-Kingdom ===
* Ulster Museum, Belfast.
* Tate Gallery, donation Talbot Rice, Londres.
* Newcastle Museum|Newcastle Museum
* Hull Museum.
=== Sweden ===
* Moderna Museet, donation Herman Igell, Stockholm.
=== Japan ===
* Hakone Open-Air Museum|Hakone Open Air Museum.
== Private collections ==
* Art Collection Peter Stuyvesant (cigarette)|Peter Stuyvesant.H.-L. Swart, « La collection Peter Stuyvesant », Museum International (édition française), Vol. 21, 1968, pages 22-29.
== Annexes ==
=== Bibliography ===
* Bertus Aafjes, Jan Meyer, published by Galerie De Eendt, Amsterdam, 1951.
* Jan Meyer, published by Galerie Mark Van Waay, Amsterdam, 1954.
* Jan Meyer, Edition Galerie Dina Vierny, Paris, 1957.
* "Jan Meyer", Cimaise, November 1957.
* Yves Sjöberg, Jan Meyer, Editions Galerie Alphonse Chave, Vence 1958.
* Lionello Venturi, Jan Meyer, published by Galerie Podigliani, Rome, 1959.
* Gerrit Kouwenaar, Éditions Galerie De Eendt, Amsterdam, 1961.
* Hans Jaffé, "Jan Meijer", revue Quadrum 10, Revue Internationale d'Art Moderne published by l'Association pour la Diffusion Artistique et Culturelle (A.D.A.C.), Bruxelles, 1961.
* Peter Stuyvesant Collectie, catalogue of the exhibition of the Peter Stuyvesant collection in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam|Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1962.
* Hans Jaffé, "20 peintres néerlandais d'aujourd'hui", Brussels, 1962.
* Peter Stuyvesant Kollektion, catalogue of the exhibition of the Peter Stuyvesant collection in the niederländicher Pavillon Berlin, 1962.
* Michel-François Braive, Jan Meyer, Éditions Galerie De Sphinx, 1966.
* Hans Jaffé, Jan Meyer (photo of the artist taken by Denise Colomb on the title page), Éditions Galerie Rive Droite, 1968 .
* Michel Seuphor, Art abstrait 3 and 4, Éditions Maeght, 1973.
* Romain Gary, Jan Meyer, Éditions Galerie La Pochade, 1976.
* , "Oasis Spontanées" presentation brochure for his collection of thirty poems illustrated by Jan Meyer. Introduction text by Philippe Orengo. Editions Alphée, Monaco, 1976.
* Pierre Granville, "La nuit parfois le jour chez Jan Meijer", article in Le Monde, 11 avril 1979.
* Serge Lemoine, Troisième donation Granville, Éditions du musée des beaux-arts de Dijon, 1986.
* Sadi de Gorter, Jan Meyer, Septentrion, revue de culture néerlandaise, 1987. (lire en ligne).
* Marie-Aline Prat, Jan Meyer, Éditions Galerie Protée, 1990.
* Françoise Woimant, Marie-Cécile Miessner and Anne Mœglin Delcroix, De Bonnard à Baselitz - Estampes et livres d'artistes, B.N.F., 1992.
* Claude Serpieri, Jan Meyer, Editions Galerie Raymond Banas, Maison de la Culture de Metz, 1995.
* Gérald Schurr, Le guidargus de la peinture, 1996.
* Christie's sale catalogue, Amsterdam, 3 septembre 1996.
* Emmanuel Bénézit, Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs, Gründ, 1999.
* Patrick-Gilles Persin, Artists supported by the gallery Galerie Arnoux, Paris, 2008.
* Arno, Frank and Oliver Seltman, Pierre Granville, Romain Gary, Jan Meyer - Peintures, Éditions Seltman Söhne, Berlin, 2011.
* Monography, (Jan Meijer Peintures), Éditions Seltmann & Söhne, 2011.
=== Filmography ===
* Gérard Thomas d'Hoste, Jan Meyer in his studio, documentary, 1969.