Ossip Zadkine - Man, Myth and Metamorphosis

Ossip Zadkine - Man, Myth and Metamorphosis

Alongside a select group of sculptures that reflect Zadkine’s distinctive view on art and artistic practice, a lesser-known part of his work will also be on display in Amstelveen. With his expressive gouaches, lithographs, and etchings, Zadkine revealed himself as an exceptional dual talent.

Ossip Zadkine was born in 1888 in Belarus and, after spending several years in England, settled in Paris in 1910 — then the undisputed capital of the Western art world. From the outset, he drew inspiration from the myths of ancient Greece and Rome. His body of work is populated by mythological human figures such as Diana, Narcissus, and Orpheus. In Orpheus, Zadkine saw himself: just as Orpheus could make animals, plants, and even stones dance with his song and lyre, Zadkine believed that an artist could breathe life into dead matter with their creative gift.

Zadkine initially preferred to work in wood and stone, raw materials taken directly from nature and seemingly brought to life by the sculptor’s hands. Fittingly, hands — as instruments of creative power — are omnipresent in Zadkine’s art. He felt a deep connection to nature. In it, he saw the most wondrous forms, constantly shifting and evolving. Through a process of metamorphosis, one form could emerge from another — in nature, as in visual art. In this context, Zadkine often spoke of “the birth of forms.”

The exhibition in Amstelveen was inspired by Zadkine’s sculpture The Three Graces (1950), part of the collection of Museum JAN. This bronze work, based on a mythological subject, was purchased in 1954 by industrialist and future museum founder Jan van der Togt. On October 4 of this year, it will be exactly 70 years since Van der Togt opened his new Tomado factory in Etten-Leur. An equally impressive relief by Ossip Zadkine adorned the entrance of the imposing building, designed by architect Hugh Maaskant. Van der Togt’s love for Zadkine’s work marked the beginning of his private collection, laying the foundation for the museum.

The exhibition Ossip Zadkine: Man, Myth & Metamorphosis brings together sculptures, paintings, and prints from Dutch museum and private collections. It highlights the artist’s close ties with the Netherlands, where he had many friends. After 1945, his work featured in nearly every major exhibition of modern sculpture in the country. Zadkine’s influence on the development of twentieth-century Dutch sculpture was undeniable — but the reverse is also true. Thanks in part to his strong ties to the Netherlands, Zadkine grew into one of the most influential figures of international modernism.