Guillaume Lo A Njoe - Voyage

The art of Guillaume Lo A Njoe (b. 1937, Amsterdam, NL) is incredibly varied, ranging from cubes with mysterious symbols and flat wooden sculptures featuring erratic shapes, to paintings and work on paper that fluctuate between abstraction and figuration. But in all his work he explores the relationship between humans and their surroundings, and the universe. His art is a universe in itself, a world between worlds where people seem to be in search of something, en voyage (travelling). The layers of shapes, meanings and materials play a key role in Lo A Njoe’s art. The collection of Museum de Fundatie includes three of his early works. In addition to these works, the exhibition features works from the collection of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, and from the artist's own collection.

_{Guillaume Lo A Njoe. Photo: Peter Tijhuis}

Guillaume Lo A Njoe studied at the Institute of Art and Crafts (Instituut voor Kunstnijverheidsonderwijs) in Amsterdam, forerunner of the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, in the 1950s. His early work was characterised by an expressive style of painting which, combined with subjects like animals, birds and fantastical creatures, recalls the work of his contemporaries Karel Appel and Erwin de Vries. In the 1970s his work became more abstract and he began to experiment with splatters on paintings and rectangular blocks. He made his most important work from the 1980s onwards: large  abstract hexagonal and octagonal paintings and wooden sculptures that reflect his international roots (Suriname, India, China, several African countries and Brazil). His break with the rectangular tradition of painting was a liberating moment for Lo A Njoe, who calls this part of his work his ‘most important contribution to painting’. Lo A Njoe has also designed monuments and won several prizes. Voyage is the first retrospective of his work to be staged by any Dutch museum.

‘My mixed heritage gives me a natural connection to a large part of the world, to Asian, African and European culture. All these things involuntarily come to the surface in my work. As a result, I rarely lack inspiration. I see myself as a universal visual artist’ – Guillaume Lo A Njoe, April 2023

_{Guillaume Lo A Njoe, no title, 1993, mixed techniques, 177 x 110 x 35 cm, on loan from the artist,}

_{Guillaume Lo A Njoe, The Moon Europe, 1993, oil paint on canvas, 120 x 120 cm, on loan from artist}

This exhibition has been made possible by the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands.

Header: Guillaume Lo A Njoe, no title, 1968, oil paint on canvas, 92 x 122 cm, collection Museum de Fundatie

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