Jacob Kanbier (1949-2020) - Doggy

Original work by Jacob Kanbier
Mixed technique on paper

Exceptional & Unique Object (Provenance):
He scarcely ever painted dogs on paper, which makes this specific work an absolute collector’s item. In 2011, the current owner visited Kanbier in his studio with a request for a painting of a dog. Because the artist didn’t have one available at that moment, he spontaneously made one on the spot. He grabbed a sheet of paper and squeezed the little remaining paint directly from the tubes onto the paper. This gave rise to this minimalist, highly expressive piece with a beautiful, thick texture. A spectacular testament to the raw, unfiltered creative process for which Kanbier was valued: the work was made so ad-hoc that the owner had to drive home with the paint still wet in the back of the car. A rare opportunity to own a unique piece of art history that diverges from all of his regular work.

This artwork is a very exceptional rarity within the oeuvre of the renowned Dutch neo-symbolist Jacob Kanbier (1949–2020). Kanbier was known for creating his large, explosive, and colorful 'live-action' paintings exclusively on canvas.

He was the son of Susanna Louise Plantfeber and Jacob Kanbier. Between 1970 and 1981 (divorce) he was married to Wilhelmina Christina de Mooij.
In 1985 he began his training at the art academy in Amsterdam, but he was not drawn to formal art education, so he largely remained self-taught. Kanbier drew inspiration primarily from Willem de Kooning and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Following these artists, he mostly produced 'rough' work in an 'explosive' creative process, with the designation 'live-action painting'. He counts himself among the neo-symbolists.
He collaborated with related artists such as Justus Donker and Justus Dick Bakhuizen van den Brink and the After Nature group of Peter Klashorst. Later, Jacob also belonged for a time to the Artists’ Collective, 'De Leidsche Mondialen' of Dick Bakhuizen van den Brink, who was its founder.
In 1987 Kanbier had his first solo exhibition at Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden and performed in an 'action-painting show' at the Boulevard of Broken Dreams in Amsterdam. Herman Brood, Jules Deelder, and Simon Vinkenoog also participated. In 1989 he presented the Manifesto of Neo-symbolism at the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam).
After periods in Paris, Prague and Friesland, Kanbier worked in his birthplace Leiden. Works by him are part of the art collections of, among others, Queen Juliana, Prince Willem-Alexander, the Eerste Kamer building in The Hague, Museum De Lakenhal, Wim Kok, Hedy d’Ancona and Felix Rottenberg.