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

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

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 Romanticism, Romanticist. He also produced novels, plays, and translations of Shakespeare. Biography Vigny was born in Loches (a town to wh ...

(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 (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, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

wrote ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

''. 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 is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artwork ...

'' 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, a battle was fought there during Operation Market Garden. The local dialect is c ...

, 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 wa ...

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

The Potato Eaters ''The Potato Eaters'' () 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 is at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo. He also ...

. 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 Emma Laura Juliane 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 coll ...

. 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.

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 Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan (; 7 March 1872 – 1 February 1944), known after 1911 as Piet Mondrian (, , ), was a Dutch Painting, painter and Theory of art, art theoretician who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He w ...

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, Georges Vantongerloo and

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

. He became friends with gallerist Jeanne Bucher who in 1928 exhibited his work along with Mondrian's. Nicolas Eekman and

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. It is split betwee ...

. 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 ...

, Louis Marcoussis,

André Lhote André Lhote (5 July 1885 – 24 January 1962) was a French Cubist painter of figure subjects, portraits, landscapes, and still life. He was also active and influential as a teacher and writer on art. Early life and education Lhote was bor ...

Marc Chagall Marc Chagall (born Moishe Shagal; – 28 March 1985) was a Russian and French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with the School of Paris, École de Paris, as well as several major art movement, artistic styles and created ...

Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

, Dalí,

Fernand Léger Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (; February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French painting, painter, sculpture, sculptor, and film director, filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of cubism (known as "tubism") which he gradually ...

and

Max Ernst Max Ernst (; 2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German-born painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and surrealism in Europe. He had no formal artistic trai ...

, 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 The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the S ...

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 (; ,Donibane Lohitzune
Auñamendi Encyclopedia, Auñamendi Eu ...

, where he signed his work under the Ekma pseudonym. In 1944, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels organized a significant exhibition in which he participated, which the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium attended. At the International Exhibition in Deauville in 1956 he was awarded the Nude Art Prize. In 1961, an important fresco (2.50 x 1.40 m. – 8.2 x 4.5 ft.) of medicinal plants from around the world was commissioned to Eekman by Prof. H. Griffon and was completed for Paris

Orly Airport Paris Orly Airport (, ) is one of two international airports serving Paris, France, the other one being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). It is located partially in Orly and partially in Villeneuve-le-Roi, south of Paris. It serves as a sec ...

'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 Painters 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