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

Ossip Zadkine (1888-1967) was inspired by classical antiquity and nature. His work centres on myths and metamorphoses. Museum JAN in Amstelveen is devoting an exhibition next summer and autumn to this Russian-French artist, who enjoys international fame as the creator of the war memorial “The destroyed city” in Rotterdam. Besides a select group of sculptures typical of Zadkine's view of art and artistry, a lesser-known part of his work will also be on display in Amstelveen. With his expressive gouaches, lithographs and etchings, Zadkine demonstrated an exceptional double talent.

Born in Belarus in 1888, Ossip Zadkine, after spending several years in England, settled in Paris in 1910, then the undisputed capital of the Western art world. From the beginning, 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. In the latter character, he recognised himself. For just as Orpheus made animals, plants and even stones dance with his singing and lyre-playing, Zadkine believed an artist animated dead matter 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 4 October next, 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.