Holstein Pieter

Pieter Holstein (Enschede, May 4, 1934) is a Dutch draftsman, painter, and printmaker. Holstein was born in Enschede in Twente. From 1954 to 1957, he studied at the Cooper Union Art School in New York. In 1958, he worked at the graphic studio of Stanley Hayter in Paris. Holstein became known for his colored etchings. He exhibited his work both at home and abroad, created artist's books, and published his drawings in the weekly magazine Vrij Nederland. Pieter Holstein was a teacher at the academy in 's-Hertogenbosch and at the Academy of Art and Industry in Enschede. Until 1985, he was head lecturer of the 'free graphic art' department at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten. Around 1970, Holstein's work was classified as New Figuration and compared to the work of Reinier Lucassen and Roger Raveel. During the rise of the New Wilds around 1980, his works were exhibited and compared to paintings by, for example, Peter Klashorst.

Pieter Holstein creates illustrative, figurative representations, featuring interiors, landscapes, characters, and symbols in sometimes enigmatic combinations. Holstein's colored etchings, with their pseudo-clumsy linework, sometimes have an absurdist portrayal and offer ironic commentary on art and perception through the use of text and image. His paintings sometimes resemble children's drawings in coloring books or cartoons. Holstein creates paintings with dreamlike landscapes. (Wikipedia)