Fabian (John Cerneus)

Fabian or John Cerneus is a Dutch artist born in 1967 in Amsterdam. Fabian took his first steps in contemporary art in 1992. From scrap iron and various metals he made various objects, sculptures and statues in an artistic way. Experimentation, learning and above all enjoyment was his way of life under which he worked and sold his works to a small audience during that period. That his artistic expressions did not pass unnoticed became clear when in 1995 none other than the one and only Herman Brood appeared in his studio. From that moment on, an intensive collaboration developed. Herman visibly enjoyed Fabian's creativity and wanted to learn from him to weld and create in metal. The young artist enjoyed all the attention and support from Herman who taught him a few tricks. Not long afterwards, the so-called Herman Brood trophy was created. A work of art made of scrap iron that was then painted by Herman and presented to a well-known Dutchman who had done something special or unique in Herman's eyes. For example, Pistolen Paul, Willibrord, Hans Dulfer, Jules Deelder etc. once received a beautiful saxophone from Herman Brood made by Fabian. The meetings between the two gentlemen followed each other at a rapid pace, after which Herman taught the young artist the intricacies of painting. Both collaborated on countless canvases on the performance, with Fabian regularly providing the background. Fabian learned quickly and eagerly and both worked from numerous locations on Herman's artworks. This intensive collaboration resulted in a new joint project in 1999 with the care of the complete furnishing of the first Herman Brood café, which was designed in a very artistic way under the name Go-Ape. That Herman Brood was very charmed by his pupil became clear when Fabian was invited to start his own studio together with Herman in order to work even more intensively in this way.
Source: https://fabian-art.nl/biografie/