A gestural abstract expressionist painting by Henk Hesselius (1927 – 2021 ). The paint strokes, set against a quiet background with the texture of the board showing through, create a sense of movement in space, like ribbons in the wind. This piece is a great example of the work by Hesselius after his CoBrA-period.  Henk Hesselius belongs to the first post-war generation of modern visual artists. Henk Hesselius, born May 23, 1927 in Amsterdam, first studied mechanical engineering and later continued at the National Academy for the Visual Arts. A contemporary of Corneille and Karel Appel, his early work is closely connected to CoBRA although he never became a member. At the beginning of his career, Hesselius manifested himself, just like Karel Appel, as an ‘action painter’. Later his style became more structured. His paintings are characterised by the use of bright colours and strong brushstrokes. His way of painting give his abstract works enormous expression and movement. Later in his career he moved into sculpture, creating large pieces out of metal. Hesselius occupied various posts within committees and institutions, like the advisory committee for Visual Arts, Amsterdam Art Council, Federation and Gaasperdam working group, and for eight years he was the chairman of the Dutch Circle of Sculptors. To commemorate his 80th birthday, Museum van der Togt, organised a solo- exhibition in 2007. His work can be found in public collections and in numerous private (inter-) national collections.

Composition in black and blue, signed and dated verso
Medium: oil on canvas,
Provenance: Private collection, NL