Johan Lennarts - "With Three Right Angles", 1978 monumental painting - Sold

Very large work by the famous artist Johan Lennarts from the 70s. Work in blue, green and white with details in black. A similar work from 1978 is in the collection of the Stedelijk Museum. In original frame.


About the artist
Johan Lennarts (Eindhoven, 18 December 1932 - Lagardère, 6 October 1991)[2] was a Dutch artist and writer. He is considered one of the most important post-war Brabant visual artists.
Stained glass from 1962 with the symbols of St. Joseph: industriousness, obedience, purity, justice and fatherhood. St. Joseph Church in the municipality of Gouda, Netherlands
Life and work

With the intention of becoming a Trappist monk, Lennarts started at the Beekvliet Seminary in Sint-Michielsgestel in 1945. However, from 1948 he went on to secondary education (Joris College). He then studied at the Royal Academy of Art and Design in Den Bosch and the Academy of Visual Arts in Tilburg. In 1959 he received a scholarship from the French government with which he could establish himself as an artist. He was initially mainly influenced by the Cobra artist movement, where the spontaneity and the desire for artistic freedom particularly appealed to him.

He became best known for his paintings, sculptures and installations. He experimented mainly in the styles of expressionism, impressionism, surrealism and pop art, often preferring the colour green. However, his repertoire was more extensive than that. He also made stained glass windows and sets and was involved in photography, film and architecture.[3]

He also wrote poems and plays.[3] In 1967, his publications in the literary magazine Raam were awarded an Eindhoven incentive prize. The following year, his play De doos was performed in the Globezaal of the Parktheater. In the 1970s, he published several works on philosophers who influenced him, namely Ludwig Wittgenstein and Martin Heidegger. In 1985, his novel Koekoeksklok in Utopia was awarded a prize by the city of Eindhoven.

In 1963, together with Ad Snijders and JCJ Vanderheyden, he organised the exhibition 'Shite to Painting'. This was held in the Eindhoven gallery Pijnenborg and was aimed at art that raises questions instead of providing answers. In 1970, together with Snijders and Lukas Smits, he organised 'Total learning and entertainment' in the Van Abbemuseum. The exhibition was executed in the style of a living room and posed the question whether a museum still has any meaning.

Lennarts lived and worked in Eindhoven for a large part of his life. He worked for a few more years in Amsterdam (1985-1988), in Ireland and at the end of his life he lived and worked in France. He was a member of the Professional Association of Visual Artists (BBK).

Lennarts' work was shown in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris, among others. His work was also exhibited after his death, such as in 1999 in the Museum de Beyerd in Breda. It is also included in the collection of the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven and the Noordbrabants Museum in Den Bosch. There are also pieces of his in public spaces, for example in Den Bosch and Eindhoven.

Bossche Encyclopedia, Flows and growth, 1971
Biographical data at the RKD-Netherlands Institute for Art History
Galleries, Johan Lennarts
Lennarts Foundation, biography
Eindhovens Dagblad, Artist Ad Snijders passed away, February 26, 2010
BKR Eindhoven, exhibitions, Shit on Painting (1963) and For education and entertainment (1970)
Eindhoven Art Foundation, collection with some works by Lennarts
Eindhovens Dagblad, New artworks for Van Abbemuseum Eindhoven, March 5, 2013