Lieuwe van Gogh, 30, has his own art exhibition in the Hallen Studios in Oud-West. The son of the murdered director and television presenter Theo van Gogh wants to do everything in his power to make his art dream come true.
He has quit his job as a chef and now devotes himself fully to making art. In the past period he has produced many works and that has led to his first exhibition. “It has been a bit of a wild ride in recent weeks,” says Lieuwe van Gogh in the exhibition space. “From banging in the kitchen, to making an annual salary in one day. That’s steady, but we don’t do it for the money.”
Pride
Although he says this with a wink, many works are already being sold in the first hours of the exhibition. Something he himself had not expected, but the joy is great. “I’m fucking happy most of all, not so much proud,” he says. Then when he hears that the wall of colorful paintings of giraffes is almost completely sold out, he adds: “Okay fuck it, I’m proud!”
He is helped, mainly in the business field, by two former colleagues of his father. “Doesjka van Hoogdalem was always assistant director to Lieuwe’s father, to Theo van Gogh, and I was Theo’s assistant at the office,” said manager Alexandra Keddeman. “Lieuwe is Theo’s son and Theo is no longer there, but the three of us are now through. We have turned the negative of the name Van Gogh for Lieuwe into a positive one and there you go!”
milk out
Although he himself sometimes has difficulty with the name Van Gogh, Lieuwe knows that abroad it can help enormously to increase his fame and market. “I’m going to milk it 100 percent for sure as far as I can in Asia and America,” he laughs. “But I hate it when people come up with ‘hey Lieuwe van Gogh’, just call me Lieuwe.”
Spray bottles from the kitchen
Lieuwe’s style can be called idiosyncratic, not only in his painting. The agile artist bounces through his exhibition space and the busy character is also apparent in his painting approach and elaboration. “I usually work in my underpants, preferably a bit in the evening,” he explains. “I put on my headphones and then I work with spray bottles. Those are the things I used in the kitchen to make dishes nice. I haven’t seen anyone do it yet, so maybe I’ve discovered something new, who knows.”
The exhibition in the Hallen Studios can be visited until Monday. After the exhibition is finished on Whit Monday, Van Gogh is already turning his sights on the future. He is already eager to leave for New York in the fall. There he will work for a month in a studio to make works, which he will then exhibit there.