Jan Cremer

About Jan Cremer

Jan Cremer gained international fame as the author of Ik Jan Cremer (1964) and De Hunnen (1983), among others. He considered himself equally a visual artist - Cremer taught at the art academies in Arnhem and The Hague and would continue to paint throughout his life. His authorship and artistry were an extension of each other: “I have always strived to make my life a work of art and lived by it.” Characteristic of all the artistic expressions he wielded was his rebellious spirit, out to break conventions and traditional aesthetics.

The relationship between Jan Cremer and the Stedelijk dates back to the early 1960s, when he first presented his work at the museum, with the painting Corrida (1961) as an important example from this period. Several artistic styles in his oeuvre are represented in the Stedelijk's collection. The museum has 22 of his works in its collection - in addition to four paintings and 14 works on paper, it also has posters, a letter and an artist's book. With 13 works, the tribute on view in June provides an insight into the dynamism and depth of Jan Cremer's practice. Experimentation, energy and conviction are characterizations of his artistry that results in abstract expressionist paintings as early as his teenage years.

In the decades that follow, he develops an idiosyncratic painterly oeuvre characterized by an expressive use of color, a strong sense of composition and alternating use of bold and dry paint. The paintings and works on paper in this presentation testify to Cremer's inquisitive and intuitive attitude, and his deep desire for freedom - and the need to express it again and again in form and language.