René Daniëls - Noord-Brabant Culture Prize Laureate

At the end of August, artist René Daniëls (Eindhoven, 1950) will receive the Culture Prize from the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds for North Brabant. The jury wishes to honour René Daniëls for his rich oeuvre as well as for the continuing influence his work is having on younger generations of artists.

Intimate presentation 

The Van Abbemuseum is celebrating this event by exhibiting a small selection from his oeuvre in the run-up to the award ceremony. We will be showing his works dating back from 1984 right up to the present day. The paintings are from the museum's own collection, supplemented by recent work and works from the René Daniëls Foundation. There are notebooks, photographs and catalogues on display in showcases.

Bow tie

René Daniels became internationally renowned in the 1980s, when expressive painting reigned supreme. His work stands out due to the unusual way in which the artist plays with words and images to create multiple layers of meaning. A well-known theme is the exhibition space, which he transforms into an hourglass or a bow tie.

Comeback

In 1987, at exactly the time when Daniëls was gaining international fame, he suffered a brain haemorrhage. Things were quiet around him for a number of years until he re-emerged at the end of the 1990s; initially with drawings but, from 2006 onwards, with works on canvas. In 2012, the Van Abbe organised a major exhibition of his work, and this could also be seen at the Reina Sofia in Madrid. Recently, a large retrospective was shown in WIELS, Brussels and at the MAMCO, Geneva. 

Close relationship

René Daniëls (born Eindhoven 1950) lives and works in Eindhoven. Since 1978, the Van Abbemuseum has organised numerous exhibitions of Daniëls’ work and has works by Daniëls in its collection. The museum has also been managing works belonging to the René Daniëls Foundation since the early 1990s.