Kees Goudzwaard: An Optimist's View
Kees Goudzwaard (b. 1958 in Utrecht, NL) currently resides in Antwerp (BE) and works in Reusel (NL).
At first glance, Goudzwaard's artworks appear to be minimalist color studies composed of rectangular pieces of paper and tape. However, upon closer examination, these works reveal themselves as meticulously crafted trompe-l’oeil paintings. He begins by constructing a model, arranging sheets of paper, transparent acetates, and tape on a colored surface. He often spends a considerable amount of time refining the composition before creating the painted illusion at full scale.
Goudzwaard seamlessly merges artistic traditions spanning three centuries, combining the playful precision of 17th-century Dutch still-life painting with the abstract art movements of pre- and post-war Europe and America (Ben Luke, 2009).
Solo exhibitions of Kees Goudzwaard’s work have been held at Collectie de Groen in Arnhem (2023), Club Solo in Breda (2020), Villa Croce, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea in Genoa (2017), De Kabinetten van De Vleeshal in Middelburg (2014), the Stedelijk Museum in Schiedam (2011), the Museum of Modern Art in Arnhem (2010), Culturgest in Lisbon (2006), and S.M.A.K. in Ghent (2005), among others.
His work has also been featured in numerous group exhibitions at esteemed institutions such as the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf, the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris, M HKA in Antwerp, Fondazione Giuliani in Rome, Palazzo Fortuny in Venice, the Roger Raveel Museum in Machelen-Zulte, Programa Art Center in Mexico City, and Museum Het Valkhof in Nijmegen.
Goudzwaard’s art is part of the permanent collections of institutions including S.M.A.K. in Ghent (BE), the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (USA), Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf (GER), Mu.ZEE in Ostend (BE), the Rubell Family Collection in Miami (USA), FRAC Des Pays De La Loire in Carquefou (FR), and Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Helga de Alvear in Cáceres (ESP), among others.
Kees Goudzwaard is represented by Gallery Sofie Van de Velde and NuNu Fine Art (New York City & Taipei).
