K. (KLAAS) GUBBELS

Biography

K. (KLAAS) GUBBELS
1934 Rotterdam

Klaas Gubbels is one of the most important contemporary Dutch visual artists, renowned for his iconic still lifes of everyday objects such as coffeepots, chairs and tables. Gubbels trained in advertising painting at the Technical School in Rotterdam from 1949 to 1951. He subsequently studied at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam (1951-1952) and continued his education at the Art Academy in Arnhem (1952-1958). He has lived in Arnhem since 1952. During the 1950s, Gubbels worked as an assistant to several artists, including Wally Elenbaas, Louis van Roode (1954), Marius van Beek and bronze worker Dick Grossman (1959-1960). This practical experience formed an important foundation for his later work as a painter, printmaker and sculptor. Gubbels' work is characterised by highly simplified forms and clear colours. Since the age of seventeen, he has drawn inspiration from the Italian artist Giorgio Morandi, who similarly elevated simple tableware to the subject of his art. Gubbels' recognisable yet stylised representations balance on the edge of realism and have become iconic for generations of art lovers. He works alternately in his studio in the woods near Arnhem and in his studio in the French Ardèche. His work has been exhibited at Museum Arnhem, Soestdijk Palace and various galleries both nationally and internationally.