Jan Schoonhoven

Dutch artist, born in Delft. Studied at the Academy in The Hague 1932-6. Has been employed since 1946 as a civil servant in the post office. His early works Klee-like watercolours and pen and ink drawings. In the 1950s began to make drawings and paintings of a tachiste character, followed from 1957 by reliefs in papier-mâché, at first coloured and with an organic, irregular structure. A member of the Dutch 'informel' group 1957-60, then of the Nul group with Armando, Henderikse and Peeters 1960-5; also collaborated from 1960 in the German Zero group. Began in 1960 to make white reliefs of a geometrical structure and to work in series. First one-man exhibition at the Galerie Wulfengasse, Klagenfurt, 1965. Awarded Second Prize at the 1967 São Paulo Bienal. Lives in Delft.

Published in:
Ronald Alley, Catalogue of the Tate Gallery's Collection of Modern Art other than Works by British Artists, Tate Gallery and Sotheby Parke-Bernet, London 1981, p.674

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