Hans Broek

Hans Broek is a Dutch artist who combines extremes in his work to jolt people awake and believes art should reflect the zeitgeist. His paintings depict historical sites and scenes of injustice, such as prisons, dungeons, and plantations, funded by slavery. This book accompanies an exhibition of his work.

Format: Hardback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 01 February 2024
Publisher: Cannibal/Hannibal Publishers

Broek’s work has a distinct attitude. – Marlene Dumas
In his combination of extremes, Broek focuses on our zeitgeist. – Wilma Sütö

The central theme in the oeuvre of Dutch artist Hans Broek (b. 1965) is landscape. He often paints locations where history has left an indelible mark, manifesting his belief that art should jolt you awake. He finds inspiration all around the world: a telegraph pole under a dark, cloudy Spanish sky; modern bungalows on the outskirts of LA; melting ice caps in Greenland; and wind-blown, rainy landscapes on the Atlantic seaboard in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. His series of paintings that depict prisons, dungeons, cell doors, plantations, and seats of colonial power funded by slavery – ‘guilty architecture where injustice was witnessed without intervention – serve as moving, silent witnesses to the ugly history of the Dutch slave trade. With contributions by Edo Dijksterhuis, Dominic van den Boogerd, Wilma Sütö and the artist himself. This book is published on the occasion of the exhibition.

Weight: 1254g
Dimension: 290 x 240 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789464666618