Nicolas Eekman
Encyclopedia
Nicolas Mathieu Eekman (9 August 1889 in Brussels, Belgium – 13 November 1973 in Paris, France), born Nikolaas Mathijs Eekman, is a Belgian figurative painter of Flemish descent, also known in France, in Belgium and in the Netherlands as Nico Eekman, Nic Eekman and under the pseudonym Ekma.
He is also recognised for his drawings, watercolours and engravings.
He illustrated many books, notably The Destinies by Alfred de Vigny
(1933), Beer‐Drinker's Tales by Charles Deulin (1945), Tyl Ulenspiegel by Charles de Coster
(1946), Culotte the Donkey by Henri Bosco
(1950).
Three distinctive periods mark his style : expressionist from 1914 to the late 1920s, Flemish realist to the early 1950s, and lastly "fantastique".
, then in exile, wrote Les Misérables
.
At 18, Eekman gave his first lecture in Brussels titled "The unknown Van Gogh" who in 1907 was an unacknowledged artist by the general public. In 1912, he went to see the first Van Gogh exhibition in Cologne, Germany. It would be a decisive experience.
After graduating from the Fine Arts Academy in Brussels in architecture, he took refuge during the First World War in the presbytery of Nuenen
in the Netherlands where Bart de Ligt was a pastor. Thirty years earlier, the Van Gogh family lived in the same presbytery, where Vincent created The Potato Eaters
. Up until the end the war, Eekman exhibited his work frequently in the Netherlands and great Dutch museums and collectors purchased some of his artwork, primarily Helene Kröller-Müller
.
A few months after a great retrospective at the Reflets Gallery in Brussels, Nicolas Eekman died on 13 November 1973 in Paris. He was buried at the Ivry Cemetery, in the southeast of Paris.
, César Domela
, Georges Vantongerloo
and Frans Masereel
. He became friends with gallerist Jeanne Bucher who in 1928 would exhibit his work along with Mondrian's. This would be the only time that Mondrian's paintings would be exhibited in a gallery in Paris. Even though Eekman was violently anti-abstract art and Mondrian was one of its pioneers, they would always remain very close friends.
During the 1930s, Eekman participated in many group exhibitions throughout the world, principally in the United States, and his solo shows took place all over Europe.
In the interwar period, Eekman was part of the artistic movement that revolved around Montparnasse, in the left bank of Paris. There he became friends with Jean Lurçat
, Louis Marcoussis
, André Lhote
, Max Jacob
, Moise Kisling
, Marc Chagall
, Picasso, Dalí
, Armand Nakache, Paul Signac
, Jacques Lipchitz, Fernand Léger
, Edouard Goerg, Geiger, Max Ernst
…
In 1937, at the International Exhibition in Paris, a gold medal was awarded to Eekman for his painting La pelote bleue (The blue ball), which was purchased by the State for the Jeu de Paume Museum.
In the beginning of World War II, he was sought by the Nazis and settled momentarily in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, in the South West of France, where he signed his work under the pseudonym Ekma.
In 1944, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels organized a significant exhibition which the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium attended.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Eekman's art was exhibited on a regular basis in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. At the International Exhibition in Deauville in 1956, he was awarded the Nude Art Prize.
In 1961, an important fresco (2.50 x 1.40 m. – 8.2 x 4.5 ft.) of medicinal plants from around the world was commissioned to Eekman by Prof. H. Griffon and was completed for Paris Orly Airport's drugstore.
(fr) Maurice Bedel, Introduction à l'Album I, Paris, 1943
(fr) Maurice Fombeure, Introduction à l'Album II, Paris, 1950
(fr) Jean-Louis Monod, Eekman, peintre, humaniste… et magicien, éd. Pierre Cailler, Geneva, 1969
(fr) Nicolas Eekman, peintre graveur, co-edition Le Sillon - Somogy, 2004
He is also recognised for his drawings, watercolours and engravings.
He illustrated many books, notably The Destinies by Alfred de Vigny
Alfred de Vigny
Alfred Victor de Vigny was a French poet, playwright, and novelist.-Life:Alfred de Vigny was born in Loches into an aristocratic family...
(1933), Beer‐Drinker's Tales by Charles Deulin (1945), Tyl Ulenspiegel by Charles de Coster
Charles De Coster
Charles-Theodore-Henri De Coster was a Belgian novelist whose efforts laid the basis for a native Belgian literature....
(1946), Culotte the Donkey by Henri Bosco
Henri Bosco
Henri Bosco was a French writer.Bosco was born in Avignon, Vaucluse into a family of Piedmontese origin. Through his father, he was related to Saint John Bosco, of whom he wrote a biography. His novels for adults and children provide a sensitive evocation of Provençal life...
(1950).
Three distinctive periods mark his style : expressionist from 1914 to the late 1920s, Flemish realist to the early 1950s, and lastly "fantastique".
Biography
Nicolas Eekman was born in Brussels in the house where Victor HugoVictor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
, then in exile, wrote Les Misérables
Les Misérables
Les Misérables , translated variously from the French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims), is an 1862 French novel by author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century...
.
At 18, Eekman gave his first lecture in Brussels titled "The unknown Van Gogh" who in 1907 was an unacknowledged artist by the general public. In 1912, he went to see the first Van Gogh exhibition in Cologne, Germany. It would be a decisive experience.
After graduating from the Fine Arts Academy in Brussels in architecture, he took refuge during the First World War in the presbytery of Nuenen
Nuenen
Nuenen is a town in the municipality of Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten, in the Netherlands.Vincent Van Gogh resided in Nuenen from 1883-1885. During that time he painted many character studies of peasants and weavers that culminated in The Potato Eaters...
in the Netherlands where Bart de Ligt was a pastor. Thirty years earlier, the Van Gogh family lived in the same presbytery, where Vincent created The Potato Eaters
The Potato Eaters
The Potato Eaters is a painting by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh which he painted in April 1885 while in Nuenen, Netherlands. It is housed in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam...
. Up until the end the war, Eekman exhibited his work frequently in the Netherlands and great Dutch museums and collectors purchased some of his artwork, primarily Helene Kröller-Müller
Helene Kröller-Müller
Helene Kröller-Müller was one of the first European women to put together a major art collection.She was born Helene Emma Laura Juliane Müller at Essen-Horst, Germany, into a wealthy industrialist family...
.
A few months after a great retrospective at the Reflets Gallery in Brussels, Nicolas Eekman died on 13 November 1973 in Paris. He was buried at the Ivry Cemetery, in the southeast of Paris.
Career as an artist
In 1921, Eekman settled in Paris, and from that point on, he would never stop showing his art in France and abroad. He would often meet the Dutch artists that lived in Paris such as Fred Klein, Piet MondrianPiet Mondrian
Pieter Cornelis "Piet" Mondriaan, after 1906 Mondrian , was a Dutch painter.He was an important contributor to the De Stijl art movement and group, which was founded by Theo van Doesburg. He evolved a non-representational form which he termed Neo-Plasticism...
, César Domela
César Domela
César Domela was a Dutch sculptor, painter, photographer, and typographer, and a key member of the De Stijl movement.-Life:...
, Georges Vantongerloo
Georges Vantongerloo
Georges Vantongerloo was a Belgian abstract sculptor and painter and founding member of the De Stijl group.-Life:...
and Frans Masereel
Frans Masereel
Frans Masereel was a Flemish painter and graphic artist who worked mainly in France. He is known especially for his woodcuts. His greatest work is generally said to be the wordless graphic novel Mon Livre d'Heures . He completed over 20 other wordless novels in his career...
. He became friends with gallerist Jeanne Bucher who in 1928 would exhibit his work along with Mondrian's. This would be the only time that Mondrian's paintings would be exhibited in a gallery in Paris. Even though Eekman was violently anti-abstract art and Mondrian was one of its pioneers, they would always remain very close friends.
During the 1930s, Eekman participated in many group exhibitions throughout the world, principally in the United States, and his solo shows took place all over Europe.
In the interwar period, Eekman was part of the artistic movement that revolved around Montparnasse, in the left bank of Paris. There he became friends with Jean Lurçat
Jean Lurçat
Jean Lurçat was a French artist noted for his role in the revival of contemporary tapestry.-Biography:He was born in Bruyères, Vosges, the son of Lucien Jean Baptiste Lurçat and Marie Emilie Marguerite L'Hote. He was the brother of André Lurçat, who became an architect...
, Louis Marcoussis
Louis Marcoussis
Louis Marcoussis, formerly Ludwik Kazimierz Wladyslaw Markus or Ludwig Casimir Ladislas Markus, was a painter and engraver of Polish origin who lived in Paris for much of his life and became a French citizen.After studying law briefly in Warsaw he went to the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts, where his...
, André Lhote
André Lhote
André Lhote was a French sculptor and painter of figure subjects, portraits, landscapes and still life. He was also very active and influential as a teacher and writer on art....
, Max Jacob
Max Jacob
Max Jacob was a French poet, painter, writer, and critic.-Life and career:After spending his childhood in Quimper, Brittany, France, he enrolled in the Paris Colonial School, which he left in 1897 for an artistic career...
, Moise Kisling
Moise Kisling
Moise Kisling was a Polish painter.Born in Kraków, Austria-Hungary, he studied at the School of Fine Arts in Kraków, where he was encouraged to travel to the center for artistic creativity in the early 20th century, Paris, France.In 1910, Kisling moved to Montmartre and a few years later to...
, Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
, Picasso, Dalí
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
, Armand Nakache, Paul Signac
Paul Signac
Paul Signac was a French neo-impressionist painter who, working with Georges Seurat, helped develop the pointillist style.-Biography:Paul Victor Jules Signac was born in Paris on 11 November 1863...
, Jacques Lipchitz, Fernand Léger
Fernand Léger
Joseph Fernand Henri Léger was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of Cubism which he gradually modified into a more figurative, populist style...
, Edouard Goerg, Geiger, Max Ernst
Max Ernst
Max Ernst was a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was one of the primary pioneers of the Dada movement and Surrealism.-Early life:...
…
In 1937, at the International Exhibition in Paris, a gold medal was awarded to Eekman for his painting La pelote bleue (The blue ball), which was purchased by the State for the Jeu de Paume Museum.
In the beginning of World War II, he was sought by the Nazis and settled momentarily in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, in the South West of France, where he signed his work under the pseudonym Ekma.
In 1944, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels organized a significant exhibition which the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium attended.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Eekman's art was exhibited on a regular basis in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. At the International Exhibition in Deauville in 1956, he was awarded the Nude Art Prize.
In 1961, an important fresco (2.50 x 1.40 m. – 8.2 x 4.5 ft.) of medicinal plants from around the world was commissioned to Eekman by Prof. H. Griffon and was completed for Paris Orly Airport's drugstore.
Legacy
His daughter Luce Eekman founded the non-profit organization "Le Sillon Nicolas Eekman" in 1989 to keep the artist's memory alive by continuing to exhibit his work and encourage interest in his art. Several exhibitions were held in France and in the Netherlands. A catalogue raisonné of his work is currently in preparation.Selective Bibliography
(fr) Paul Fierens, Monographie Eekman, Brussells, 1936(fr) Maurice Bedel, Introduction à l'Album I, Paris, 1943
(fr) Maurice Fombeure, Introduction à l'Album II, Paris, 1950
(fr) Jean-Louis Monod, Eekman, peintre, humaniste… et magicien, éd. Pierre Cailler, Geneva, 1969
(fr) Nicolas Eekman, peintre graveur, co-edition Le Sillon - Somogy, 2004