Fred Arends (1949) - Winterkoud

He used to be called Fred Arends (1949), but nowadays he goes by ‘Frederick Arends’. I understand why. His classically styled works of art, painted mainly in the style of the 19th-century Dutch School, are in great demand in the United States. Ever mindful of the market, he therefore calls himself ‘Frederick’. It sounds just a little more sophisticated than ‘Fred’ in Anglo-Saxon countries and, to be fair, the first name also suits his image as a traditional painter better.

Is it because of the warm climate? Or does he want to live close to his biggest market? In any case, Fred (alias Frederick) has lived for many years on the tropical island of Curaçao, where he exhibits his work in an art gallery, ‘Art Gallery Absolute’. Handy, since more than 200,000 American tourists visit the island each year. Most of them walk from the quay where the cruise ships dock to the heart of the historic city. In the middle of the UNESCO World Heritage zone, they see a typical brown Monument Preservation sign on the façade of a historic building. With copper lettering, a sign that Americans associate with an ‘Important Historical Site’, it reads: ‘Fred Arends – the Traditional Dutch Master’. The brief accompanying text underneath is a textbook example of marketing strategy: “Arends was inspired by 17th century Dutch masters and their techniques.” A direct reference for the American cruise passengers to the age of Rembrandt and Vermeer, but also to the time of New York’s ‘Dutch founding fathers’.