The Life of Things

Artist Jeroen Henneman (Haarlem, 1942) understands the art of remaining amazed by the world around him. Unbiased wonder, humor, and—sometimes literal—lightness and airiness, but also an eager, inquiring mind that questions the limits of optical perception: these are constants in Henneman’s work and, at the same time, characterize Henneman as a person. His sculptural work, as well as his installations, paintings, and drawings, testify to an open mind and interest in both the large scale of public space and the city, and the way in which our eye is guided by the smallest detail.

The exhibition is part of a series of exhibitions organized by Museum Kranenburgh on visual artists who, through their work and as multi-talented individuals, occupy unique positions in the Dutch art world, such as Armando, Han Bennink, and Aat Veldhoen; multi-talented artists with a large body of work built up over many years, in which personality, individuality, curiosity, and experimentation come together.

Since around 1960, Jeroen Henneman has built up a completely unique body of work, consisting of installations, drawings, paintings, and sculptures. Many of his works have been placed in public spaces. He has also created theater performances and television programs and illustrated books. Henneman has never been part of a particular art movement or group of like-minded artists.

The exhibition comprises a selection of autonomous artworks from the artist’s oeuvre, from around the mid-1960s to his most recent work. The selection was made in close consultation between Colin Huizing, artistic director of Museum Kranenburgh, and Jeroen Henneman.