Regarded as one of the most important Dutch artists of the late twentieth century, 

 (1914-1994) is recognized for his extensive and systematic investigations into light, form, and volume through his sculptural wall reliefs and works on paper. Despite spending the majority of his life in Delft, Holland, Schoonhoven worked in dialogue with and had a significant impact upon an international group of avant garde artists. Beginning in the 1950s, he played a central role in the 

 (Netherlandish Informel Group) and the 

(Nul Group)—which were affiliated with the European 

movement and the Zero Group, respectively—and was included in numerous important and related group exhibitions including 

at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, in 1964, and 

at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, in 1972. He participated in 

, Brazil, in 1967, where he was awarded second prize.

Schoonhoven's work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at museums including the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague (1967) and the Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, the Netherlands (1968, 1972, and 1973). Major surveys and retrospectives of the artist's work have been held in international institutions. In 1972, 

traveled from the Städtisches Museum, Mönchengladbach, Germany, to the Westfälischer Kunstverein, Münster, and the Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo, The Netherlands. In 1985–1986, 

Jan Schoonhoven Retrospektiv: Tekeningen en reliëfs 

traveled from the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, to the Kunsthalle Nürnberg, Nuremberg, and finally to the Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, Germany. In 1995–1996, 

traveled from Museum Folkwang, Essen, to the Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht, and the Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau, Switzerland.

 was on view at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague. In 2015, a centennial exhibition of the artist's work was held at Situation Kunst, Bochum, Germany. In the same year, Museum Prinsenhof Delft, The Netherlands, presented 

 and Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, The Netherlands, presented 

Order and Chaos: Balance in the Drawings of Jan J. Schoonhoven

 was on view at the Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, Ohio.

David Zwirner presented the first significant exhibition of the artist's sculptural wall reliefs and works on paper in America in over a decade at the gallery’s 537 West 20th Street location in 2015.

Work by the artist is represented in museum collections worldwide, including the Art Institute of Chicago; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague; Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg; Kunsthaus Zürich; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam; Museum Ludwig, Cologne; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Helsinki Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland; Tate Gallery, London; and Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

Antoon Melissen is an Amsterdam and Berlin-based writer, art historian, and independent scholar specializing in art of the 1950s through the 1970s. His publications include monographs on the Dutch Nul artists Jan Henderikse (with Renate Wiehager; 2010) and Armando (2015) as well as catalogue texts on the international ZERO movement for the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin; and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; among others. He is currently working on a forthcoming monograph on the life and work of Jan Schoonhoven.?

Antoon Melissen

Over the course of nearly 40 years, Dutch artist Jan Schoonhoven (1914–1994) produced works on paper and sculptural reliefs, while maintaining his job as a civil servant employed by the Dutch Post Office. This new monograph places the artist, one of the most important Dutch artists of the 20th century, in an international context, arguing for his role as an influential player in European art after the Second World War.

From his central position in the Netherlandish Informal Group, associated with Art Informel, to his later involvement with the Dutch Nul group, part of the international ZERO network, Schoonhoven participated in two of the most important currents of postwar European abstraction from his hometown of Delft. This volume features many hitherto unknown works and photographs and sheds new light on the work of the “master of white.”

Jan Schoonhoven

Jan Schoonhoven | Books

David Zwirner is an art gallery with locations in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris and Hong Kong. We present physical and online exhibitions, podcasts, books, and more.