The main characters in the oeuvre of Klaas Gubbels (Rotterdam, 1934) are a coffee pot, usually called a kettle by himself, a table, a cup and sometimes, very occasionally, a female figure, a cat or a bottle. “I have a limited number of topics. I'm actually almost totally intuitive. I let it happen to me.” The limited number of visual themes is also the strength and charm of his artwork. The images he created have become icons for many: serious, but light-hearted representations that, although recognizable, always explore the edges of realism.
In Gubbels' paintings, the coffee pot is, as it were, a character. He sits on a chair at a table or meets other brightly colored kettles on the flat surface. They have human traits. They can be sad or happy, but also simply boring. In all their simplicity and tranquility they talk and dance with each other. Gubbels says he wants to exploit the monotonous. So the subject is the same over and over again but never boring. The work, on the other hand, is always different “I want the boring to be something.” His works of art are therefore a beacon of peace. Klaas Gubbels has always stayed close to himself, he has no choice. His sculptures can be found everywhere in the Netherlands. He has enriched his hometown of Arnhem with works of art that heal and strengthen the heart and soul of the war-wounded city.
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He studied at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam (1951-1952) and continued his education at the art academy in Arnhem (1952-1958). Gubbels did not take his final exams for fear of failing the art history section. Exhibitions of his work have been shown in Museum Arnhem, Soestdijk Palace and Livingstone Gallery in The Hague, among others. There was recently an exhibition of his at the Singer Museum because he was awarded the Singer Prize. His works hang in various other museums such as Boymans and the Centraal Museum.
After the war, he worked for the advertising department of the Bijenkorf for a while and in the 1970s Klaas Gubbels was a teacher at the Rotterdam Academy of Visual Arts, now the Willem de Kooning Academy, together with other painters and graphic artists such as Hannes Postma and sculptor Kees. French.
Over time, Klaas Gubbels' works of art have become increasingly abstract. In addition to paintings, Gubbels makes graphics and sculptures. He uses a multitude of techniques and materials, such as photography, lithograph, woodcut, wall painting, collage, objet trouvé, glass and metal. Gubbels works in Arnhem in his studio in the coach house of the Lichtenbeek estate or in France in the Ardèche. His motto is 'He who has nothing to say always comes up with something new. Anyone who has something to say keeps repeating it all their life. His work has similarities with Italian artists such as Giorgio Morandi and Amedeo Modigliani.
We have (had) all the works in this blog in our collection. If you would like to sell works by Klaas Gubbels to or through us, please do so. we are definitely interested. Please send us an email with some photos and your contact details.
