Reinier Lucassen
Reinier Lucassen (b. 1939, Amsterdam, Netherlands) studied at the Institute for Arts and Crafts in Amsterdam. He is a representative of the style called Nieuwe Figuratie, the Dutch artistic movement which can be compared to the American Pop Art. He was one of the first artists in the Netherlands to make ample use of elements of popular culture, such as comic book characters (Donald Duck, Tin Tin), films (James Bond), hotdogs and pin-ups. Later, he also explicitly quoted from art history, with references to leading artists like Van Gogh, Magritte and Mondrian. Lucassen regularly exhibited in museums at home and abroad: Municipal Museum Schiedam (2009); De Hallen, Haarlem (2004); Cobra Museum of Modern Art, Amstelveen (1999); Museum Boijmans van Beuningen , Rotterdam (1987); Venice Biennale , Venice, Italy (1986). He received the 1970 Cassandra Foundation Award and the 1976 David Röell Prize.
Reinier Lucassen, Chapeau contra chaos, 1998 – 2000, oil on canvas, 60 x 65 cm, private collection. Photo credit: Gert Jan van Rooij. Courtesy of the artist.