Jan Schoonhoven

Galerie Mobiel Orez, The Hague
Acquired from the above by the mother of the present owner

This work is in very good condition apart from some very minor superficial surface dust. Two small irregularities are visible in the wood at the top and left side of the work not disturbing the front view. One small chip lost of approximately 2mm at the extreme upper right corner and one very small spot of abraision (approximately 2 mm.) at the extreme lower left corner.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"We specifically did not want to convey a message... we wanted people to look. We wanted art everybody understood, no hierarchies."

Jan Schoonhoven.

Jan Schoonhoven had been examining how his reliefs can function as containers to express reality for over 20 years by the time he produced R79-2. The work therefore can be considered a very decisive example of how far he had gotten in eliminating any chance of personal effect, message, allusion, or compositional subjectivity. By 1979 his partner Anita had passed away and Schoonhoven had retired from his position as postman. He was more and more reclusive and focussed on his work. After having experimented with the form a decade earlier, he had recently produced a few more small works based on the Greek cross, and was very keen on the result. They were austere and very formal, and Schoonhoven decided to make two more large scale reliefs based on the same principle; R79-1 (sold at Sotheby's Amsterdam, December 2001 lot 279) and R79-2, the present lot. Both are beautifully harmonious and balanced in a classical way, and Schoonhoven was so pleased with them that he decided to refrain for a while from further attempts to make any new reliefs.

We can see Schoonhoven starting to concentrate on his drawings exclusively in the following period, and becoming more relaxed with his search. His drawings started to show at times notions of whimsicalness and free expression, and when ultimately he returns to relief making in the early 1980s, his newfound freedom shines through and these works are much more subjective and playful, thus making the two works he produced in the early months of 1979 to be extremely pivotal in his work, a completion of his quest for truth.

From; J. Wesseling; 'Jan Schoonhoven,visual artist',The Hague 1990
Gerard Finckn and others; Jan Schoonhoven, retrospective; exhibition catalogue Museum Folkwang Essen/ Bonnefantenmuseum Maastricht/ Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau, 1995, Richter Verlag, Düsseldorf, Germany.

Special thanks to Mr. Aad in 't Veld assisted to Schoonhoven 1970-1994 for his historical insight in the making of this work.