|
Bé van der Heide Born in
the Netherlands.
1956-60 Academy for Fine Arts in Enschede, the Netherlands.
1960 Emigrated to Canada.
1967 Executed a large mural in the Dutch pavilion at EXPO 67, the world exhibition in Montreal, Canada.
1968-71 Lived in Istanbul, Turkey.
1982 Moved to London, England
1989 Participated in Triangle workshop in New York.
1992 Guest artist at Outer Mongolia Artists Union, Ulaan Bataar.
2000 Three day Park- Studio Work-shop in collaboration with Theatre de Complicité.
Opinions - Art critics:
Bé van der Heide
"Sensitivity, sensibility and perception”
“El sentiment a flor de pell”
Text: Maria Lluïsa Borràs, Dominical, Diari de Girona, 4 January 2009.
Bé van der Heide was born in Eastern Holland and studied four years at the Academy of Fine Art in Enschede. During the Second World War, her family lived in the countryside, in different farmhouses, where she learned to love life away from the city. She says that today she could not live far from the Empordà, where one of her two daughters and her respective family now reside.
Her professional life started in 1963 with an exhibition in the Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Enschede. Shortly thereafter she met Hans Diemel, who would become her life-long partner and with whom she emigrated to Canada. In Montréal, Bé continued to develop and study art specializing in the graphic arts and was an active participant in the influential and thriving atmosphere of Ateliers Graff. She was also interested in mosaic techniques and carried out a series of abstract murals that won her fame. As early as 1967 she was commissioned to execute a very large mural for the Dutch Pavilion at Expo‘67 in Montreal.
In 1964, Bé traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. On her return, she explored the possibilities of experimental art. Back in Canada, where she stayed for sixteen years, she continued to have numerous exhibitions, both in Canada and the USA. During a three year interim in Istanbul she exhibited in the German Cultural Centre. In 1975 she presented “Les Píntures Gastronòmíques” in Toronto. Later, in 1979 in Montreal, she created an exhibition relating to the foot, which is not only the part of the body that connects us to the earth, but also that part of us that remains furthest from the heart. The exhibition leaflet announced that every Thursday the artist would wash the feet of the visitors.
HOUSE IN LONDON
After this period of many journeys, the couple took up residence in London in 1982 with Bé now working in Space Studios in Berry Street. Since 1999 she divides her time between London and Mas Poch in Vilaritg, Catalunya.
Every year, at the end of summer, she has a large exhibition of her work in the gallery on the ground floor (old stables) of Mas Poch. The opening of the exhibition coincides with the name day of Sant Martí and is celebrated in Vilaritg. Surprisingly, I have ascertained that she has more visitors here than when she opens an exhibition in her gallery in London.
She always paints in series, inspired by living things, facts or reflections about which she develops a specific theme or idea, and she writes: “I work, starting from a personal search for the truth, about the identity of the person, about life, in a kind of visual meditation”.
In the eighties she made big abstract paintings that seem to portray fantastic tunnels excavated in the earth and unknown, hidden worlds. If she always had an extraordinary facility for drawing, she now also revealed herself as a great colorist. She works in series always allowing herself to get carried away and be strengthened by her sensibility.
She explained to me that the Series "Insects" originated during a stay at a Dutch beach in the winter of 1992. On the beach there were few people, all very old. In this sad and melancholic environment she noticed a dead seagull on the sand from which she could not pull her gaze. She painted the seagull once and again several times, always the same but always different. From that seagull was born one of the most extensive and varied series that she has ever made, the "Insects".
In 2002, she made another large series evoking the thirties entitled «Enfant Terrible», and this summer, I saw her latest series “Collapse” exhibited in Mas Poch. This series was inspired by photos of the destruction of the city of Dresden during World War II that she had seen in the newspaper and these paintings symbolize the disaster that any war can mean to a city.
Bé van der Heide is a woman who always has a smile on her lips, is welcoming, affectionate, full of imagination and extremely perceptive. I cannot imagine a better personification of the joie of vivre that Matisse bequeathed to us, than this painter, who seems to feel, amongst us, as one more Empordanesa.
Solo Exhibitions:
1963 - "Rijksmuseum Twenthe", Enschede, Holland..
1965 - Mansfield Book-market Art Gallerv, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1966 - New Masters Gallery, 57th Street, New York, USA,
1968 - German Cultural Centre, Istanbul, Turkey.5
1971- Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; Stable Gallery, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1974 - Powerhouse Gallery, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1975 - "Gastronomical Paintings", Powerhouse Gallery, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
1978 - "Pisces Pedic Pleasure Palace", Powerhouse Gallery, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1980 - "Pink- Chain Letter", Powerhouse Gallery, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1984 - "Meditation on Knitting", Centennial Gallery, OakviIIe, Ontario, Canada.
1987 - The Showroom, London England.
1988 - Endel Street Gallery, I ,ondon, England.
1989 - Galerie Biervliet, Amsterdam, Holland.
1991 - Pitminster Studio - Taunton, Somerset, England.
1992 - Bruton Street Gallery, Bruton Street, London, England.
1993 - PoweII Moya Partnership, Architects, London, England.
1994 - Chancery Gallery, Royal Netherlands Embassy, London, England.
1998 - "'Insects"', Morley Gallery, London, England.
2002 - "Enfant Terrible', LCP Gallery, London, England.
2003 - Mas Poch Gallery, Vilaritg, Spain.
2004 - “Enfant Terrible 2”, Consell Comarcal de l’Alt Emporda, Figueres, Spain.
2004 - Galerie Porfin, Enschede, The Netherlands.
2005 - Mas Poch Gallery, Vilaritg, Spain.
2006 - South Tipperary Arts Centre, Tipperary, Ireland.
2007/2008 - Mas Poch Gallery, Vilaritg, Spain
Selected Group Exhibitions since 1979:
1971 - Salon des Metiers d'Arts, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1971 - Exhibition Vaudreuil, Quebec, Canada.
1972 - "Pavilion des Graveurs", Man and His World, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1972 - "Graff Workshop Collection" at Graff, Montreal; Quebec; and at the Canadian Cultural Center in Paris, France.
Also at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
1972 - A.G.Q. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1972 - 56th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Canadian Painters, Etchers and Engravers.
1973 - "Les Moins de 35", Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1973 - Les Editions Graffofone, Graff, Montreal; and at the Marlborough Godart Gallery, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada.
1974 - "Contemporary Canadian Graphics", Brantford, Ontario, Canada.
1974 - "Repeat", Powerhouse Gallery, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1974 - "Kunstmesse", with Gallery Media, Basel, Switzerland.
1975 - "Artfemme '75", Saidy Bronfman Centre and at the Musee d'Art Contemporain, Montreal, Canada.
1975 - Graff exhibition at Gallery Graphex, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
1975 - Photography '75 Ottawa, organised by the Canadian National Film Board.
1975 - "Exchange", Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba; and at the Musee d'Art Contemporain, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1975 - "Women as Viewer", Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
1975 - S.A.P.Q. Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris, France.
1976 - "Forum '71", Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1977 - "39 Prints". Edinburgh, Scotland.
1977 - Terres des Homme, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1977 - 03-23-03, Montreal; and at the National Gallery in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
1977 - "Concours d'Art- Graphique Quebecois"; Sherhrooke, Quebec, Canada.
1977 - "What I did last Summer", Powerhouse Gallery, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1977 - Exposition Encan, Graff, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1978 - "Footprint", Seattle, Washington, USA.
1978 - "Arti Fiera", with Powerhouse Gallery, Bologna, Italy.
1978 - 100 Gravures de Quebec; Quebec City; and in the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris, France.
1978 - "Self Portraits", Powerhouse Gallery, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1978 - "Graff Dinner", Graff, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1979 - "Vomo Arti Animale", Livorno, Italy.
1979 - "Fine Feathered Exhibition" (5 artists only), Saw Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
1979 - "Brain in the Mail"; Vehicule, Montreal; Quebec; Canada.
1979 - Exhibition, together with the launching of a book on Canadian Printmaking, at the Musee de Quebec,Canada.
1979 - "Concours d'Estampe et de Dessin Quebeqois", Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
1979 - ''Biennale 2 de Quebec", Saidy Bronfman Centre; Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1979 - ''Red", Powerhouse Gallery, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1979 - "Woman's Bookworks", Powerhouse Gallery, Montreal, and at 8 different places across Canada and the USA.
1980 - Huit Montrealaises", Soho Gallery, New York, USA.
1980 - "Woman's Work", LoS Angeles, USA.
1983 - AIR Gallery Picture Fair, London, England.
1984 - Berry Street Open Studios Exhibition, London, England.
1984 - "Triangle" workshop exhibition, Mashumak, USA.
1985 - Berry Street Open Studios Exhibition, London, England.
1985 - Summer Salon, Roger Francis Gallery, London, England.
1985 - "Salon des Acceptes", Bury St Edmunds Art Gallery , Suffolk, England.
1986 - "Triangle" show, Smith Gallery, London, England.
1986 - Berry Street Open Studio Exhibition, London, England.
1986 - "Camden Annual Exhibition", Camden Art Centre, Londo, England.
1986 - AIR Gallery Picture Fair, London, England.
1986 - "Graff 1966-1980'', Musee d'Art Contemporain, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1987 - "Small Works", Patricia Knight Gallery, London, England.
1987 - Berry Street Open Studios Exhibition, London, England.
1988 - "Arthur Young" show in Cambridge, England.
1988 - AIR Gallery Picture Fair, London, England.
1988 - Berry Street Open Studios Exhibition, London, England.
1988 - Merz Fine Arts, London, England.
1989 - "Ways of Telling", Mostyn Art Gallery, Llandudno, Wales; and at the Old Library, The Hayes, Cardiff, Wales.
1989 - Critic's Space V (selected by Mary Rose Beaumont) AIR Gallery, London, England.
1989 - ATR Gallery Picture Fair, London, England.
1989 - "Links of Affinity", Dutch Contemporary Art in Britain, Knapp Gallery, London; and at the Glasgow Art Club, Glasgow, Scotland.
1989 - Berry Street Open Studio Exhibition, London, England.
1990 - The Last Berry Street Open Studios Exhibition, London, England.
1990 - AIR Gallery, Picture Fair, London, England.
1990 - The New Wapping Art Show 1990, The Collector's Gallery, London, England.
1990 - "The London Group", Golbankian Gallery, Royal College, London, England.
1991 - "Laing Collection", The Mall Galleries, London.
1991 - "Art Works", London.
1991 - Lea Bridge Road, Open Studios, London.
1991 - "Under the Eye of Saturn" - 3rd Mostyn Open Exhibition, Llandudno, Wales.
1991 - Bruton Street Gallery, London.
1992 - Lea Bridge Road Open Studios exhibition, London.
1992 - Art Fair London, with Bruton Street Gallery, London.
1992 - Summer Show Bruton Street Gallery, London.
1993 - "Aspects of Abstraction" Bruton Street Gallery, London.
1993 - "Promise and Performance" Glassenbury Park, Kent.
1993 - "Women of Europe" London Architecrural Society, London.
1993 - "Park Studio Artists" John Jones Gallery, London.
1993 - "EAST", National Open Art Exhibition, selected by Konrad Fischer and David Tremlet, Norwich Gallery, Norfolk Institute of Art
and Design, Norwich, England.
1993 - Summer Exhibition, Bruton Street Gallery, London.
1993 - "Art For Sale", The Guardian Exhibition at Whiteleys, London.
1994 - Park Studios Open London.
1994 - Collection, Paul Diemel, Enschede, Holland.
1995 - Park Studios Open, London.
1996 - 12th Cleveland International Drawing Biennale, Middlesbrough, England.
Park Studios Open, London.
1997 - Chancery Gallery, Royal Netherlands Embassy, London.
1997 - The Open Drawing Show, Cheltenham, England.
1998 - "Contemporary Art and the Media", A&C Gallery, London.
1998 - Temps Compose de la Donation Maurice Forget, Musee d'Art de Joliette, Quebec, Canada.
1998 - Megalamedia how with-the artist's Network, London.
1999 - "Mixed Messages", Park Studio artists at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London.
2000 - "Art in direct", Galeria de Arte Zero, Barcelona, Spain.
2000 - "Summer 2000", Galeria de Arte Zero, Barcelona, Spain.
2000 - Park Studios Open, London.
2001 - "The past to the present", La Centrale, Montreal, Canada.
2001 - "As we are now", Galerie Mc Clure,Visual Arts Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
2002 - Park Studios Open, London.
2003 - "1001 Reasons to Love the Earth", Seoul, North Korea.
2004 - Collection Lionel Philips, Somerset,England.
2004 - Park Studis Open, London, England.
2006 - “Convoi Exceptionel”, Marie Chailloux Gallery, Amsterdam, Holland.
2006 - Park Studios Open, London, England.
2006 - Outer Mongolian Artists Association, Ulaan Bataar, Outer Mongolia.
IN THE COLLECTION OF:
City of Enschede, Holland.
Provincial Bank of Canada.
Bibliotheque Nationale de Quebec, Canada.
The National Film Board of Canada.
Carlton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
The Art Bank of the Canada Council.
Bibliotheque Centrale de Prets du Sagucnay, Lac St Jean, Quebec, Canada.
The Quebec Government.
Nortel Networks, Munich, Germany and Maidenhead, England.
Triangle Collection, New York, USA.
Musee d'Art de Joliette, Quebec, Canada.
The Netherlands’ Embassy, London, England.
AWARDS:
Canada Council, short term grants in 1975 and 1980.
Aide aux Exposition, grants from Quebec in 1978 and 1980.
PUBLICATIONS IN BOOKS:
"Photography 1975", The National Film Board of Canada salutes International Women's Year.
"La Gravure au Quebec (1940-1980)" by Gilles Daigneault and Ginette Deslaurier.
"Cent Peintres du Quebec" by Jean Trepanier.
"I.e Monde Selon Graff', (1966-1986)".
"Art and the Sacred", by Sister Wendy Becket.
" World Art Collection", 1001 Reasons to Love the Earth, 2000 Foundation.
|
