Toos van Holstein
Encyclopedia
Toos van Holstein is a Dutch painter with an expressionistic, figurative style.
(the Netherlands). From 1970-1990 she was a teacher in art.
In 1983 she had her first exhibition with oil paintings. Several times she has been nominated for the annual election of the Dutch Artist of the Year. She is one of the better known women artists
in the country. Toos lives and works in Middelburg
, capital town of the province of Zeeland
(Sealand), in an old warehouse
from the year 1738.
(Divina Commedia) by the Italian Dante Alighieri
and the Germanic Edda
found on Iceland as the more modern writers like Garcia Márquez and Tolkien.
In this creative way Toos van Holstein's art presents a completely unique world according to her saying for me art is travelling the mind.
She had special shows in
- the museum Het Petershuis (Gennep
, the Netherlands) with the motto “Art for living, living for the art”
- the medieval church of Saint Martin in Franeker
(the Netherlands) with the motto “Men on its way”, based on the medieval pilgrimage
to Santiago de Compostela
(Spain) and Dante’s journey through Hell
, Purgatory
and Heaven
(the Divine Comedy)
- and the museum of the art village of Saint Paul de Vence
in France.
The exhibition of “Men on its way” was also shown in the old Dutch Church in the City of London.
De mens op weg ISBN 90 72548 21 3
Man on his way ISBN 90 72548 23 X
Biography
Toos van Holstein studied art and art history at the Academy of Arts in the town of TilburgTilburg
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....
(the Netherlands). From 1970-1990 she was a teacher in art.
In 1983 she had her first exhibition with oil paintings. Several times she has been nominated for the annual election of the Dutch Artist of the Year. She is one of the better known women artists
Women artists
Women artists have been involved in making art in most times and places. Often certain certain media are associated with women, particularly textile arts; however, these gender roles in art change in different cultures and communities...
in the country. Toos lives and works in Middelburg
Middelburg
Middelburg is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.- History of Middelburg :...
, capital town of the province of Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
(Sealand), in an old warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
from the year 1738.
Paintings
Paintings by Toos van Holstein show a recognizable world but do not prescribe what has to be seen by the viewer. Your fantasy can interpret her works in an uninhibited way. Therefore she prefers to speak of her work as figurative art instead of figural in the literal or obvious sense. Yet and still, each painting is based on an idea, experience or emotion when she is working on it, especially with the knife. Her ideas emanate from her own surroundings and her travels through countries in southern Europe, the Middle and the Far East and North and South America. But she is also inspired by as well medieval writings as the Divine ComedyThe Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy is an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321. It is widely considered the preeminent work of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature...
(Divina Commedia) by the Italian Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
and the Germanic Edda
Edda
The term Edda applies to the Old Norse Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, both of which were written down in Iceland during the 13th century in Icelandic, although they contain material from earlier traditional sources, reaching into the Viking Age...
found on Iceland as the more modern writers like Garcia Márquez and Tolkien.
In this creative way Toos van Holstein's art presents a completely unique world according to her saying for me art is travelling the mind.
Exhibitions
On a regular base Toos van Holstein shows her work in galleries in her own country but also in Belgium, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and the USA.She had special shows in
- the museum Het Petershuis (Gennep
Gennep
Gennep is a municipality and a city in the southeastern Netherlands.- Population centres :Aaldonk, Dam, De Looi, Diekendaal, Gennep, Heijen, Hekkens, Milsbeek, Ottersum, Smele, Ven-Zelderheide and Zelder.- The city of Gennep :...
, the Netherlands) with the motto “Art for living, living for the art”
- the medieval church of Saint Martin in Franeker
Franeker
Franeker is one of the eleven historical cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Franekeradeel. It is located about 20 km west of Leeuwarden on the Van Harinxma Canal. As of 1 January 2006, it had 12,996 inhabitants. The city is famous for the Eisinga Planetarium from around...
(the Netherlands) with the motto “Men on its way”, based on the medieval pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
(Spain) and Dante’s journey through Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
, Purgatory
Purgatory
Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven...
and Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
(the Divine Comedy)
- and the museum of the art village of Saint Paul de Vence
Saint-Paul, Alpes-Maritimes
Saint-Paul or Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. One of the oldest medieval towns on the French Riviera, it is well-known for its modern and contemporary art museums and galleries such as Fondation Maeght which is located nearby.The property...
in France.
The exhibition of “Men on its way” was also shown in the old Dutch Church in the City of London.
Sources
Toos van Holstein ISBN 90 72548 09 4De mens op weg ISBN 90 72548 21 3
Man on his way ISBN 90 72548 23 X