Jo van Dijk - Large woodcut "souvenir d'Afrique" made in 1967 - very small edition (8) - Sold

• Special 1960s wood/linocut by this Groningen "Groep NU" artist. Made in a very small edition of only 8 prints, large representation "souvenir d'Afrique". Paper sheet size approx. 65x40cm (HxW). The wood/linocut is in good, sharp condition, the passe partout needs to be replaced.
  

The second half of the fifties meant an artistic breakthrough for Jo van Dijk. Encouraged by the then director of the Groninger Museum WJ de Gruyter, he had his first solo exhibition in 1959 in Galerie de Mangelgang. In the same year, at the invitation of both artists' associations, he became a member of De Ploeg and the more progressive Groep NU. Until his death, Jo van Dijk made lyrical abstract work in various techniques, of which painting had been his preference for years, that only refers to form, colour and composition.
His work is highly sought after and is rarely offered for sale.

Groep Nu was founded on 3 March 1959 in Groningen. The occasion was a lecture by professor and art historian Schulte Nordholt on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of De Ploeg. In a sense, Nu was a critical reaction to the lack of innovation at that time of De Ploeg. Administratively, Nu was led by so-called non-working members. The affiliated artists did not have to worry about administrative and organizational matters.

Sixteen artists immediately joined Nu, including former Ploeg members Jan Jordens and Jan van der Zee, who had previously been involved in the artists' group Het Narrenschip. Others such as Martin Tissing, Henri de Wolf and Sjouke Heins also joined Nu.

Although the group received attention in the national media from the start, they encountered a lot of opposition at the local level. The board of Pictura in Groningen initially refused any form of cooperation. The then director of the Groninger Museum, W. Jos de Gruyter, one of the initiators of the establishment of Nu, made exhibition space available in the museum in 1960, against the wishes of his board. The group also exhibited in Pictura in the years that followed. In 1969, the group had an exhibition in the Groninger Museum, which was given the name Wad Nu. They also exhibited outside Groningen in those years, including in the Princessehof in Leeuwarden. The group slowly fell apart in the years that followed.