La plume au vent, drawing by Nicolas Eekman, mixed media on paper, signed, titled and monogrammed lower right.
Nicolas Eekman (1889-1973) was a Belgian painter, engraver, and illustrator of Dutch origin. Born in Brussels, in the house where Victor Hugo once stayed during his exile, Eekman felt a certain kinship with the author, referring to himself as a "little misérable." Initially trained in architecture at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, he relocated to Holland during World War I. There, he became one of the early admirers of Van Gogh, who was still largely unknown at the time, and lived for four years in Nuenen, where Van Gogh had also resided. Eekman absorbed the spirit of the place and the simplicity of rural life, which had deeply inspired Van Gogh before him.
Upon his arrival in Paris, Eekman met Mondrian, with whom he developed a lifelong friendship, despite their radically different artistic approaches. They exhibited together at the Galerie Jeanne Bucher, and Eekman immersed himself in the vibrant artistic life of the interwar period, mingling with prominent figures such as Dali, Chagall, Picasso, and Signac.
After World War II, Eekman received the recognition he deserved and held exhibitions across the globe. His work is distinguished by a subtle and profound portrayal of the human soul, often depicted through rural scenes in an homage to Brueghel. Through a keen sense of detail and a sensitivity to human psychology, Eekman explored universal themes such as the passage of time and the search for meaning.
The work we present here is characteristic of the delicacy and poetry that imbue Eekman's art, establishing him as a key figure in 20th-century art.
Frame dimensions : 55.5 x 43cm
