Ossip Zadkine, Zadkine by the sea

The exhibition Zadkine aan Zee (Zadkine by the sea) offers an overview of the work of the Modernist Parisian master Ossip Zadkine (1890–1967), who alongside artists such as Picasso, Modigliani, and Lipchitz, helped radically change the aesthetics of Western sculpture. Zadkine’s connection to the Netherlands is given close attention: collectors and clients there were often also friends.

The personal vision of this exceptionally original artist was centered on the immutable relationship between humans and nature. This approach allowed him to take on the role of Orpheus, the mythical poet whose art held the power to keep evil at bay. This is the meaning that Zadkine, who lived through two world wars, attached to his art. The exhibition at the Beelden aan Zee is the first to explore this aspect of the sculptor’s ideological motivation.

Zadkine’s ability to constantly reinvent himself in order to respond to historical changes in new ways makes him one of the great artists of his era.