Woodhackers
1927
Oil on canvas.
60 x 72.5 cm
Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
Inv. no.
642
(1979.82
)
ROOM 43
Level 1
Permanent Collection
For a time Bart van der Leck adhered to the rigid geometric guidelines of De Stijl, but gradually began to attach greater importance to the figurative elements of his compositions. The present oil painting belonging to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, which Christopher Green considers to be a sketch for a larger work, clearly illustrates the balance between abstraction and figuration that characterises most of his output.
The painting’s first owner, Hendricus Petrus Bremmer (1871–1956), was a major collector and foremost critic in the Netherlands, who later became Helene Kröller-Müller’s chief advisor. The correspondence between Van der Leck and his patron attests to the latter’s influence on the artist.
Paloma Alarcó
The painting’s first owner, Hendricus Petrus Bremmer (1871–1956), was a major collector and foremost critic in the Netherlands, who later became Helene Kröller-Müller’s chief advisor. The correspondence between Van der Leck and his patron attests to the latter’s influence on the artist.
Paloma Alarcó