Biography / CV / Publications
Peter Heij, born in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Lives and works in Utrecht, Den Bosch, Amsterdam, Zaandam, since 2020 in Job, the Auvergne, Puy de Dôme, France.
He attended the Royal Academy for Art and Design (AKV | St. Joost) at Den Bosch, The Netherlands from 1982 to 1987, specialized in painting.
During his academic period, he produced works in numerous styles including figurative, expressionistic, and abstract. He continued primarily in realism, practiced from his youth and enriched with his academy experiences.
The themes and subjects of some of these post-academy paintings deal with people and the impact of their surroundings on their identities, particularly in the Figures (Gestalten) series. Others endeavour to reconstruct landscapes of the past (the Lostland paintings) or attempt to capture the shapes of the ephemeral (the Skyscapes). A more recent group of works reveals the traces made on the landscape by its inhabitants (Santa Fe footpaths) and a collection of sketches of faces from memory (Faces).
In the Photo paintworks, the realistic images of photographs become enmeshed with painting and other techniques. The captured and unmoving reality is thereby changed, questioned, and placed into a different perspective.
The experience of new and changed insights and awareness through elevation above and distance from everyday reality, never completely losing sight of that reality, stands central in his work.
Exhibitions group (selection)
2020/21/22
Nel art, Cape Town South Africa. Summer Salon 2021 – Febr. 2022. Curator Luan Nel. A selection from the series Figures, the paintwork: The Fisherman.Exhibition of the gallery collection (Febr./March 2020), and the Summer Salon 2020 – Febr. 2021. Curator Luan Nel. A selection from the circular Skyscapes.
2018/19
The Orange Water Contemporary Art Festival 4, Greece.
Theme; Reflections of Origin. 2018-2019:
EAP (Hellenic Open University) School of Applied Arts, Patras. 2018: Netherlands Institute Athens (NIA). Curator Apostolis Zolotakis. A selection of the oil paintworks series Figures.
2018
UFOFABRIK Contemporary Art Gallery (Moena, Italië);
P.A.T. Pavia Art Talent, Pavia, Italy.
Art Thessaloniki Contemporary art fair, Thessaloniki, Greece.
ArtNordic International ArtFair, Lokomotivværkstedet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Hybrid Art Fair, Madrid, Spain.
Broad selection among others of the series Figures and Photo paintworks.
2018
Galerie Sous-Terre/Flower Art Museum, Aalsmeer, The Netherlands. Exhibition ‘Unity in diversity’. Selection Photo paintworks Flowers.
2017/18
End of the year exhibition, Galerie Lauswolt, Olterterp, Friesland. The Netherlands. Broad selection of various subjects.
2017
United States of Arts, Salon West Art Gallery, Amsterdam. Selection of the series Figures.
2017
Art Shopping, Salon d’art Contemporain International, Carrousel du Louvre, Paris. Queen Art Studio Gallery, Padova, Italy. Selection of the series Fa
2016
Artproject 40×40 ‘SKIN’, Gallery Tuur, Venlo, The Netherlands.
2016
ArtZaanstad, Zaandam, The Netherlands. Broad selection of series Skycapes, Figures, Lostlands, Santa fe footpaths and Faces.
2015/6
The Orange Water Contemporary Art Festival I, 2015 / 2016, Greece.
Theme; Memory Landscape. 2016; SAF (Santorini Arts Factory). 2015; Netherlands Institute Athens (NIA), the Loft (Athens), Agios Athanasios (Naousa), Megaron Lefkon (Lefkes, Paros). Selection of the Lostlands series.
2015
Gallery ‘S’, Amsterdam. Exhibition ‘Heren Exposeren’. Photo paintworks Figures and ‘Dallas, Texas’ series in oil.
2015
Galerie numéro 1, Paris. Exhibition ‘Love etc…’. Photo paintworks Figures.
2014
Galerie numéro 1, Paris. Exhibition ‘Ambiance Vénitienne’. Photo paintworks Figures.
2014
Netherlands Institute Athens (N.I.A). Exhibition ‘Familiar-Unfamiliar’, curator Apostolis Zolotakis. A selection of the Photo paintworks and Photo paintworks Figures.
2014
CAMP, Athene, Greece. Exhibition ‘Ground Zero’. A selection of the Photo paintworks Figures.
2014
GaleriaZero, Kunst 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Series Faces.
2013/4
Gallery Peter Leen, Breukelen, Netherlands. Theme; 20×20 cm. Series Faces.
2013
UFOFABRIK Contemporary Art Gallery (Moena, Italy); G@P Gallerys at Paratissima 9, Art Games & The Others Art Fair, Turin, Italy. Series Photo paintworks.
2013
UFOFABRIK Contemporary Art Gallery (Moena, Italy), RED SALON G2 at the Vienna Showcase, Palace Schönborn, Vienna. Series Photo paintworks.
2013
ReCulture 2 / 2013, 2nd International Visual Art Festival of Patras, Greece.
Exhibition ‘Familiar-Unfamiliar’, curator Apostolis Zolotakis. A selection of the Photo paintworks and Photo paintworks Figures.
2013
ChaniArt 2013. Visual Arts Journeys in the Prefecture of Chania, ΙΟΧ, Neorio Moro, Chania, Crete, Greece.
Exhibition ‘Familiar-Unfamiliar’, curator Apostolis Zolotakis. A selection of the Photo paintworks and Photo paintworks Figures.
2012
LekArt 2012, theme ‘Insideout’, Culemborg, The Netherlands; series Figures.
2012
Alan Barnes Fine Art, exhibition ‘Atelier 2012′, Dallas, Texas, USA. Series Santa Fe footpaths.
2011
Gallery ‘S’, exhibition ‘Contrasts’, Amsterdam. Series Figures.
2008
University of Pennsylvania, Fox Gallery, Graduate Humanities Forum, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A. In the Beginning, Exploring Origins in Contemporary Art. Series Lostlands.
2007
Gallery Peter Leen, exhibition ‘river Vecht’ at Castle Nyenrode, Gallery Peter Leen, Breukelen and the Townhall of Maarssen, The Netherlands. Series Figures.
2007/2022
8Q Mondial Global Exhibition Show Your Hope, Found. 80 Questions, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, The Netherlands.
2006/7
M.I.A.D. Venado Tuerto 2006 International Exhibition of digitized art, Argentina. Series Figures. Provincial Museum of Fine arts Rosa Galisteo, Santa Fe, Argentina.
Cultural Provincial Center Tetro Ideal, Venado Tuerto, Argentina.
2006
Gallery Acculade, Amsterdam IJburg.
2005
Gallery Peter Leen, Breukelen, The Netherlands. Series Figures.
2002/3/4
Holland Art Fair- Gallery De Opsteker, The Hague, The Netherlands.
2003
Lineart art fair-Gallery De Opsteker, Gent, Belgium.
2003
Allegany Arts Council-Saville Gallery, Will’s Creek Survey, Cumberland,
Maryland, USA. Series Skyscapes.
1999
Gallery Ploos van Amstel, Summer- and Autumn Exhibitions, Amsterdam.
1998/9
Institute for Religian Sciences, State University Groningen, The Netherlands;
Eternal Vulnerable. Modern Art and Religion.
Faculty for Religian Science, State University Museum Gerardus van de Leeuw, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Museum for Religian Art, Uden, The Netherlands.
Museum Begijnhofkerk (courtchurch), Sint-Truiden, België.
Museum Abtei Kamp, Kamp-Lintfort, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Exhibitions solo (selection)
2007/9 to 2014
Open Studios Nieuwmarkt, Amsterdam.
2008
Gallery Stam, Amsterdam. Series Lostlands.
2008
Gallery Acculade, Amsterdam IJburg. Theme; Inner- and Outerworld.
2005
Wijkcentrum d’ Oude Stadt, project ‘Figures in the Sint Antoniesbreestraat’, Amsterdam.
2005
Gallery Acculade, Amsterdam IJburg.
2001
de Baak Art Gallery, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
2000
Gallery De Opsteker, Amsterdam. Series Skyscapes.
Collections
R.O.C. Amsterdam, Municipality of Amsterdam, SBK art lending, private, and in commissions.
Journeys (relevant)
U.S.A. (since 1991) Italy (since 1973), Vietnam (2001), Sri Lanka (1999), Thailand (1995/6) and Indonesia (1994/1997).
Press & Publications (selection)
2018
Columbia College Literary Review. Spring 2018, vol. 7. Columbia College of Missouri, USA, pg. 12, pict. Gestalten/Figures III.
2016
Catalogue and advertisement in Art Magazine at ArtZaanstad, Zaandam, The Netherlands.
2016
Catalogue The Orange Water Contemporary Art Festival II, Greece; Pages Orange Water Contemporary Art Festival I at SAF.
2015
Catalogue The Orange Water Contemporary Art Festival I, Greece. Theme; Memory Landscape, at SAF (Santorini Arts Factory), Netherlands Institute Athens, the Loft (Athens), Agios Athanasios (Naousa) and Megaron Lefkon (Lefkes, Paros). Selection of the Lostlands series.
2013
Catalogue ReCulture 2 / 2013, 2nd International Visual Art Festival of Patras, Greece. Exhibition ‘Familiar-Unfamiliar’, curator Apostolis Zolotakis.
2013
De Volkskrant (national newspaper Neth.), Monday April 15th 2013; Opinion on reopened Rijksmuseum, with portrait pictures.
2008
University of Pennsylvania, Fox Gallery, Graduate Humanities
Forum, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A. In the Beginning, Exploring Origins in
Contemporary Art; Catalogue.
2007
The William and Mary Review – The College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia, V.S.), pict. ‘Reclining Amsterdam’.
2005
De Echo, (newspaper Amsterdam); project ‘Figures in the Sint Antoniesbreestraat’, Amsterdam, pict. ‘Gestalten III’.
2004
Kunstbeeld (art magazine), editie nov.; pict. ‘David in Amsterdam’ at Holland Art Fair.
2003
Cumberland Times (newspaper Maryland, USA); exhibition Will’s Creek Survey, Allegany Arts Councel’s Saville Gallery, pict. ‘Skyscape I’.
1998
Eindhovens Dagblad (newspaper The Netherlands); review Mary Winters; Eternal Vulnerable. Modern art and religion, exhibition State University Groningen, The Netherlands.
1998
Friesch Dagblad (Frisian newspaper); review/interview Grada Kos; Eternal Vulnerable. Modern art and religion, exhibition State University Groningen, The Netherlands.
1998
Eternal Vulnerable. Modern art and religion, catalogue exhibition State University Groningen, The Netherlands, page 84, pict. ‘Looking for God II’.
