Nicolas Mathieu Eekman (9 August 1889 – 13 November 1973), known as Nico Eekman, Nic Eekman and Ekma, was a

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

figurative painter. He illustrated many books, notably ''The Destinies'' by

Alfred de Vigny Alfred Victor, Comte de Vigny (27 March 1797 – 17 September 1863) was a French poet and early French Romanticist. He also produced novels, plays, and translations of Shakespeare. Biography Vigny was born in Loches (a town to which he never r ...

(1933), '' Beer‐Drinker's Tales'' by

Charles Deulin Charles Deulin (1827–1877) was a French writer, theatre critic, and folklorist who is most known for his contemporary adaptations of European folk tales. Among his many stories are " Cambrinus, King of Beer", "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" ...

(1945), ''Tyl Ulenspiegel'' by Charles de Coster (1946) and ''Culotte the Donkey'' by

Henri Bosco Henri Bosco (16 November 1888 – 4 May 1976) was a French writer. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature four times. Life Bosco was born in Avignon, Vaucluse into a family of Provençal, Ligurian and Piedmontese origin. Through ...

(1950). He is also notable for his drawings, watercolours and engravings.

Biography

Eekman was born in Brussels in the house where

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

wrote ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

''. At 18, Eekman gave his first lecture in Brussels titled ''The unknown

Van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...

'' who in 1907 was an unacknowledged artist by the general public. In 1912, he went to see the first Van Gogh exhibition in Cologne, Germany. After graduating as an architect from the Fine Arts Academy in Brussels, he took refuge during the First World War in the presbytery of

Nuenen Nuenen () is a town in the municipality of Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten in the Netherlands. From 1883 to 1885, Vincent van Gogh lived and worked in Nuenen. In 1944, the town was a battle scene during Operation Market Garden. The local dialect i ...

, where

Bart de Ligt Bartholomeus de Ligt (17 July 1883 – 3 September 1938) was a Dutch anarcho-pacifist and antimilitarist. He is chiefly known for his support of conscientious objectors. Life and work Born on 17 July 1883 in Schalkwijk, Utrecht, his father was ...

was a pastor. Thirty years earlier, the Van Gogh family lived in the same presbytery, where Vincent created

The Potato Eaters ''The Potato Eaters'' ( nl, De Aardappeleters) is an oil painting by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh painted in April 1885 in Nuenen, Netherlands. It is in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The original oil sketch of the painting is at the Kröl ...

. Up until the end the war, Eekman exhibited his work frequently in Dutch museums and collectors purchased some of his artwork, primarily

Helene Kröller-Müller Helene Kröller-Müller (11 February 1869 – 14 December 1939) was a German art collector. She was one of the first European women to put together a major art collection. She is credited with being one of the first collectors to recognise the ...

. A few months after a great retrospective at the Reflets Gallery in Brussels, he died on 13 November 1973 in Paris. He was buried at the

Ivry Cemetery Ivry Cemetery (''cimetière parisien d'Ivry'') is one of the extramural cemeteries of Paris, located in the neighbouring town of Ivry-sur-Seine in Val-de-Marne, less than 500 metres outside Paris's intramural area. As well as a green space, it is ...

Career as an artist

After settling in Paris in 1921, Eekman continued showing his art in France and abroad. He was an acquaintance of Fred Klein, Piet Mondrian, César Domela,

Georges Vantongerloo Georges Vantongerloo (24 November 1886, Antwerp – 5 October 1965, Paris) was a Belgian abstract sculptor and painter and founding member of the De Stijl group. Life From 1905 to 1909 Vantongerloo studied Fine Art at the Fine Art Academies in A ...

and

Frans Masereel Frans Masereel (31 July 1889 – 3 January 1972) was a Flemish painter and graphic artist who worked mainly in France, known especially for his woodcuts focused on political and social issues, such as war and capitalism. He completed over ...

. He became friends with gallerist Jeanne Bucher who in 1928 exhibited his work along with Mondrian's. This would be the only time that Mondrian's paintings would be exhibited in a gallery in Paris. They were close friends. During the 1930s, Eekman participated in many group exhibitions, mainly in the United States, and his solo exhibitions took place all over Europe. In the interwar period, Eekman was part of the artistic movement that revolved around

Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. Montparnasse has bee ...

. There he became friends with

Jean Lurçat Jean Lurçat (; 1 July 1892 – 6 January 1966) was a French artist noted for his role in the revival of contemporary tapestry. Biography He was born in Bruyères, Vosges, the son of Lucien Jean Baptiste Lurçat and Marie Emilie Marguerite L' ...

Louis Marcoussis Louis Marcoussis, formerly Ludwik Kazimierz Wladyslaw Markus or Ludwig Casimir Ladislas Markus, (1878 or 1883, Łódź – October 22, 1941, Cusset) was a painter and engraver of Polish origin who lived in Paris for much of his life and became ...

, André Lhote, Marc Chagall, Picasso, Dalí, Fernand Léger and

Max Ernst Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German (naturalised American in 1948 and French in 1958) painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealis ...

, among others. In 1937, at the International Exhibition in Paris, Eekman won the gold medal for his painting ''La pelote bleue'', which was purchased by the State for the Jeu de Paume Museum. Eekman's work was included in the 1939 exhibition and sale ''

Onze Kunst van Heden Onze Kunst van Heden (Contemporary Artists/Our Art of Today) was an exhibition held in the winter of 1939 through 1940 at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Due to the threat of invasion in the years leading up to World War II, the Netherlands' g ...

'' (Our Art of Today) at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. In the beginning of World War II, he was sought by the Nazis and settled momentarily in

Saint-Jean-de-Luz Saint-Jean-de-Luz (; eu, Donibane Lohitzune,Donibane Lohitzune
Orly Airport Paris Orly Airport (french: Aéroport de Paris-Orly), commonly referred to as Orly , is one of two international airports serving the French capital, Paris, the other one being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). It is located partially in Orly ...

's drugstore.

Legacy

His daughter Luce Eekman founded the non-profit organization ''Le Sillon Nicolas Eekman'' in 1989 to exhibit his work and foster continuing interest in his art. Several exhibitions were held in France and in the Netherlands. A catalogue raisonné of his work is currently in preparation.

Selective bibliography

*(fr) Paul Fierens, ''Monographie Eekman'', Brussels, 1936 *(fr) Maurice Bedel, ''Introduction à l'Album I'', Paris, 1943 *(fr) Maurice Fombeure, ''Introduction à l'Album II'', Paris, 1950 *(fr) Jean-Louis Monod, ''Eekman, peintre, humaniste… et magicien'', éd. Pierre Cailler, Geneva, 1969 *(fr) ''Nicolas Eekman, peintre graveur'', co-edition Le Sillon - Somogy, 2004

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eekman, Nicolas 1889 births 1973 deaths Artists from Brussels 20th-century Dutch painters 20th-century Belgian painters Dutch male painters Dutch wood engravers Belgian wood engravers Dutch engravers Flemish engravers Burials at Ivry Cemetery 20th-century Dutch male artists