Hannes Postma (1933-2020) - Tourist's attraction

Medium: mixed media on paper
Dating: 1970
Numbered: original
Signed: with pencil on underside
Condition: In good condition - nice colors
Titled: "tourist's attraction"
Sheet size 50 x 65 cm

Johannes Gerardus Maria (Hannes) Postma (Haarlem, – Amsterdam, ) was a Dutch painter, draftsman and graphic artist. Postma studied at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam. His oeuvre consists of oil paintings on canvas, sculptures of iron and plaster, silkscreens and etchings. In the sixties the artist gained much recognition with his series color etchings.

From 1973 to 1978 Postma created the series 'sea paintings'. He belonged during this period to the 'Hoek van Hollandse school', an anarchist art group consisting of artists who did not want to be influenced by external influences, both traditions and teachers.

A few years later Postma sought connection with the Nieuwe Figuratie. As is characteristic for the art of the painters belonging to this group, Postma combined figurative and abstract elements in his works. In his abstract creations the viewer can occasionally find recognizable, figurative motifs, such as human figures, torsos or limbs. The disproportionate human figures, stretched or compressed, seem to float through space. A hallmark of Postma's style is the use of imaginative shapes. The artworks are often layered and dripping strokes of paint are clearly visible. Other characteristics of Postma's art, and of the Nieuwe Figuratie, are the tension between the flat plane and the illusion of space, and the sparkling use of color.

In addition to being a visual artist, Postma was a lecturer at the Academy of Visual Arts in Rotterdam from 1971 to 1988. His work is represented in the collections of companies, private individuals, institutions and museums, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag and the Museum van Moderne Kunst Arnhem. In 1967 the book 'Hocus Focus' was published, a book about Postma's art. J.G.M. Postma died in 2020 at the age of 87.