't Spectrum Bergeijk Shelves

This shelf, called 'Utrecht' is a design by Constant Nieuwenhuys. Nieuwenhuys was a member of the CoBrA movement. He is known as a fine artist, musician, writer and he was also known...

An eye-catching and very rare pair of book racks, model "Delft", designed by Constant Nieuwenhuijs, manufactured by 't Spectrum in the Netherlands in 1956. This is a very rare find of Dutch minimalist design. The shelves are made of yellow lacquered metal. One shelf has an open wire metal structure, the other one a closed metal structure. Combined this creates a lovely touch that will fit very well in many different decors, from modern to industrial, adding a unique touch of Dutch design to the interior. This set is a true piece of (design) history by the founding member of the CoBrA art group. It remains in good original condition with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a wonderful vintage patina. About the designer: Constant Nieuwenhuijs -better known as Constant- was a founding member of the art group CoBrA. He was a Dutch painter, sculptor, graphic artist, author and musician. Constant was born in Amsterdam on 21 July 1920 as the first son of Pieter Nieuwenhuijs and Maria Cornelissen. Their second son Jan Nieuwenhuys was born a year later. Both sons became artists although their parents had no apparent interest in art. As a young child Constant drew passionately and showed great talent. He read literature with a special preference for poetry and played musical instruments. Constant painted his first oil painting, De Emmaüsgangers, at age sixteen. It depicted the Revelation of Jesus to two of his followers in Emmaus. With no money to buy materials he painted this painting on a jute sugar bag with pigments he had bought from a house painterMany of Constant’s early drawings and paintings are religiously inspired, due to his Jesuit schooling. Yet at the age of twenty Constant turned his back on Catholicism. In 1946 Constant traveled to Paris for the first time where he met the young Danish painter Asger Jorn. The friendship between Jorn and Constant later formed the basis for CoBrA. July 1948 Constant founded Reflex Experimentele Groep in Holland (nl) with Corneille, Karel Appel and his brother Jan Nieuwenhuys. The first edition of the magazine Reflex was published with a manifesto written by Constant. For Constant art had to be experimental. He had deducted this from the French word 'expérience' and believe that art springs from experience of the artist and is continuously changing. This manifesto would become one of the most important texts on art in the Netherlands after WWII. In this manifesto he states that firstly the process of creation is more important to the experimental artist than the work itself. It is a means to reach spiritual and mental enrichment. Secondly the work of experimental artists is a mirror image of changes in the general perception of beauty. Constant, Corneille and Appel, three totally different characters and artists, were united in their quest for innovation. They exhibited their work together and were often seen together in the European art scene. This was somewhat to the annoyance of other experimental artists in the Netherlands. The wanderlust of the three is especially notorious. Constant died on 1 August 2005 and was survived by his son and his three daughters, and by his widow and her daughter. he director of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (Municipal Museum of Amsterdam), Willem Sandberg, was very supportive of young artists and fully supported the CoBrA group by giving them seven large rooms to exhibit their work in. Most of the CoBrA works had been fairly small due to their lack of money and so Sandberg gave the artists an advance to create some larger works in the week before the exhibition. Constant, Corneille, Appel and Eugène Brands created several large pieces of art that have become iconic for the movement. The architect Aldo van Eyck...