Frits Van Eeden’s Horses on View at Foosaner Art Museum Now
MELBOURNE, FLA.—The Foosaner Art Museum, Florida Institute of Technology, will host an exhibition by internationally recognized artist Frits Van Eeden, a prolific abstract painter, sculptor and printmaker. The exhibition, “The Horse: Paintings by Frits Van Eeden,” will be on view Oct. 19 through Jan. 19, 2014. This exhibition will run concurrently with the exhibition “Theodore Waddell: Far West.”
Van Eeden’s current series of paintings was inspired by the horse. Its form and musculature are scaffolding for Van Eeden’s experiments in color, form and media. Since the earliest days, artists have portrayed the powerful image of the horse. As its relationship to man changed, so did its depiction in art work. While no longer consigned to military or utilitarian purposes, the horse remains a riveting subject for many artists.
Born in Tilburg, The Netherlands, in 1944, Van Eeden’s family moved to The Hague after World War II. His parents enrolled him in a progressive school designed to help students with severe dyslexia. Van Eeden was exposed to many different artistic influences. The movement by Rudolf Steiner started to become popular in experimental education and had a bearing in shaping Van Eeden’s education. After attending the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, he was invited to join the Pulchri Art Society of The Hague. A grant from the Dutch government gave Van Eeden the chance to travel to England and study the work of celebrated sculptor Henry Moore.
In 1979 Van Eeden entered a juried competition at the Brevard Art Museum where he won Best-In-Show with a life-size sculpture of horses. This marked the beginning of Van Eeden’s connection to the museum of 30-plus years as an artist in residence, exhibiting artist and instructor at the Renee Foosaner Education Center.
Van Eeden will also teach a painting workshop at the Renee Foosaner Education Center on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $250. Registration is available online at http://www.foosanerartmuseum.org/art-workshops.php#.UkrSRqXhC2x or call (321) 674-8923.
The Foosaner Art Museum is located at 1463 Highland Ave. in the Eau Gallie Arts District of Melbourne. It is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is $5 for adults, $2 for children, seniors and students with ID and free on Thursdays and always for Florida Tech faculty, staff and students with their ID. Call (321) 674-8916, or visit foosanerartmuseum.org, for more information.
Image credit: Frits Van Eeden, Untitled, 2013. Mixed media on canvas, 48 x 48 inches. Courtesy of the artist.
