Lucien den Arend
Encyclopedia
Lucien Armand Marco den Arend (December 15, 1943) is a geometric abstract sculptor. As is the case with concrete art
, his work is not modeled after any existing object – his sculpture represents only itself. Most of his sculptures and Land art
projects were made as public art
.
Den Arend was born in Dordrecht
, The Netherlands. In 1953 his family emigrated to the United States, where they settled in Los Angeles California. Between 1964 and 1966 he studied art and Russian at California State University, Long Beach
. During the summer of 1965 the first international sculpture symposium in the United States (and the first on a college campus) was organized on the campus of California State University at Long Beach . There he made friends with Joop Beljon, who was the participating sculptor from the Netherlands. After returning to the Netherlands he continued his art studies at the Tilburg
Academy of Art, studying for an Nht teaching degree. After finishing his studies there, he attended the last year of sculpture classes at the Rotterdam
Academy of Art – now the Willem de Kooning
Academy. When he finished his studies there in 1970, the Rotterdam Art Foundation awarded him the ‘drempelprijs’ for his accomplishments in the field of sculpture in that year in Rotterdam. Later he taught at the Rietveld Art Academy in Amsterdam
and At the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague with Joop Beljon who was its director.
In 1969 he received his first commission for an environmental sculpture
project. At that time his visiting card read “Environmental Sculpture.” He used this term for sculpture
that went beyond making a sculptural object for a specific environment – the environment itself had to become the sculpture. Presently the term site-specific
art covers both. He incorporated elements that we know from our environment to bring them together to form a new whole. These elements could be natural materials as well as artifacts. His first environment was an enclosed garden for a social work place in Dordrecht, DSW. In 1971 he made another environmental work, the Walburg Project which he incorporated into an agricultural landscape, in the town of Zwijndrecht
. Up to now he has made site-specific projects in more than 55 cities throughout northwestern Europe
.
In the early seventies he met Henry Moore
three times during his trips to Forte Dei Marmi, where he worked at Henraux Stone Yards in Querceta Italy
. With him he discussed the area of site_specific sculpture and the overlapping area of environmental sculpture.
From the early seventies he was active in various artists' associations, advisory committees for public art in Amsterdam
, Rotterdam
and other municipalities in Holland. He was chairman of the stipend committee of the Dutch Ministry of Culture in 1982 and 1983 and chairman of the Dutch Sculptors' Association from 1984 to 1986. He organized international exhibitions and
symposia of sculpture such as the East West Forum (Japan and The Netherlands), North Sea|Black Sea (Bulgaria
and the Netherlands). In the Drechtsteden
Area he realized his plan for an international sculpture park, OPAM, which was opened by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1996. In 1999 Queen Beatrix and the Bulgarian King Simeon II opened Black Sea|North Sea, a symposium and exhibition of five Bulgarian sculptors in OPAM. He received the Knight of Madara (Madara Horseman) decoration from the President of Bulgaria. In 2004 he started the organization of his second international sculpture park FOAM (Finnish Open Air Museum) in Finland to which country he moved in 2003. He now lives and works in Kangasniemi
, Finland
where a collection of his sculptures is permanently exhibited on the grounds of Penttilä, an old estate in the Saimaa
Lake District. He named the sculpture park POAM (Penttilä Open Air Museum).
Concrete art
Concrete art and design or concretism is an abstractionist movement that evolved in the 1930s out of the work of De Stijl, the futurists and Kandinsky around the Swiss painter Max Bill. The term "concrete art" was first introduced by Theo van Doesburg in his "Manifesto of Concrete Art"...
, his work is not modeled after any existing object – his sculpture represents only itself. Most of his sculptures and Land art
Land art
Land art, Earthworks , or Earth art is an art movement which emerged in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s, in which landscape and the work of art are inextricably linked...
projects were made as public art
Public art
The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all...
.
Den Arend was born in Dordrecht
Dordrecht
Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
, The Netherlands. In 1953 his family emigrated to the United States, where they settled in Los Angeles California. Between 1964 and 1966 he studied art and Russian at California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach is the second largest campus of the California State University system and the third largest university in the state of California by enrollment...
. During the summer of 1965 the first international sculpture symposium in the United States (and the first on a college campus) was organized on the campus of California State University at Long Beach . There he made friends with Joop Beljon, who was the participating sculptor from the Netherlands. After returning to the Netherlands he continued his art studies at the Tilburg
Tilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....
Academy of Art, studying for an Nht teaching degree. After finishing his studies there, he attended the last year of sculpture classes at the Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
Academy of Art – now the Willem de Kooning
Willem de Kooning
Willem de Kooning was a Dutch American abstract expressionist artist who was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands....
Academy. When he finished his studies there in 1970, the Rotterdam Art Foundation awarded him the ‘drempelprijs’ for his accomplishments in the field of sculpture in that year in Rotterdam. Later he taught at the Rietveld Art Academy in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and At the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague with Joop Beljon who was its director.
In 1969 he received his first commission for an environmental sculpture
Environmental sculpture
The term environmental sculpture is variously defined. A development of the art of the 20th century, environmental sculpture usually creates or alters the environment for the viewer, as opposed to presenting itself figurally or monumentally before the viewer...
project. At that time his visiting card read “Environmental Sculpture.” He used this term for sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
that went beyond making a sculptural object for a specific environment – the environment itself had to become the sculpture. Presently the term site-specific
Site-specific
Site-specific is used in a range of contexts:In art Site-specific artIn molecular biology Site-specific recombination...
art covers both. He incorporated elements that we know from our environment to bring them together to form a new whole. These elements could be natural materials as well as artifacts. His first environment was an enclosed garden for a social work place in Dordrecht, DSW. In 1971 he made another environmental work, the Walburg Project which he incorporated into an agricultural landscape, in the town of Zwijndrecht
Zwijndrecht
Zwijndrecht may refer to:* Zwijndrecht, Belgium* Zwijndrecht, Netherlands...
. Up to now he has made site-specific projects in more than 55 cities throughout northwestern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
In the early seventies he met Henry Moore
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
three times during his trips to Forte Dei Marmi, where he worked at Henraux Stone Yards in Querceta Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. With him he discussed the area of site_specific sculpture and the overlapping area of environmental sculpture.
From the early seventies he was active in various artists' associations, advisory committees for public art in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
and other municipalities in Holland. He was chairman of the stipend committee of the Dutch Ministry of Culture in 1982 and 1983 and chairman of the Dutch Sculptors' Association from 1984 to 1986. He organized international exhibitions and
symposia of sculpture such as the East West Forum (Japan and The Netherlands), North Sea|Black Sea (Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and the Netherlands). In the Drechtsteden
Drechtsteden
The Drechtsteden are a number of towns and cities bordering each other in the delta area of the rivers Oude Maas, Noord, and Beneden-Merwede in the province of South Holland, the Netherlands...
Area he realized his plan for an international sculpture park, OPAM, which was opened by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1996. In 1999 Queen Beatrix and the Bulgarian King Simeon II opened Black Sea|North Sea, a symposium and exhibition of five Bulgarian sculptors in OPAM. He received the Knight of Madara (Madara Horseman) decoration from the President of Bulgaria. In 2004 he started the organization of his second international sculpture park FOAM (Finnish Open Air Museum) in Finland to which country he moved in 2003. He now lives and works in Kangasniemi
Kangasniemi
Kangasniemi is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
where a collection of his sculptures is permanently exhibited on the grounds of Penttilä, an old estate in the Saimaa
Saimaa
Saimaa is a lake in southeastern Finland. At approximately , it is the largest lake in Finland, and the fourth largest in Europe. It was formed by glacial melting at the end of the Ice Age. Major towns on the lakeshore include Lappeenranta, Imatra, Savonlinna, Mikkeli, Varkaus, and Joensuu. The...
Lake District. He named the sculpture park POAM (Penttilä Open Air Museum).
External links
- denArend.com - official site of the sculptor
- "Public Art: A World's Eye View, Integrating Art Into the Environment" ICO Publishers, Japan (2008). ISBN 978-4-931154-32-2.