Freek Van Den Berg

Biography

From a very young age, it was clear that Freek van den Berg, born in 1918 in Amsterdam and also raised there, had an exceptional talent for painting. He left his home at 17 to fully commit himself to fine arts. He received lessons from Giltay and Han van Dam. He met Kees van Dongen in 1937, who invited him to his exhibition at the Amsterdam Art Trade Buffa. Fauvism was still fairly unknown in The Netherlands, and Freek was deeply touched by Van Dongen's use of colours. Freek appeared to be a natural-born Fauvist. His passionate personality, his lust and love for life, which he always approached positively, made him a Fauvist pur sang.

Fauvism stands for the bewildered, a word used by those who disapproved of the artists’ use of unmixed colours, which automatically influenced the outcome of the artworks. Rebellious as the artists of this new artistic movement were, they proudly adopted the name Fauvism to distinguish themselves from the classic order.

After the war, Freek moved to Paris, where he visited exhibitions and was inspired by the use of colour and design by painters like Derain, De Vlaminck, and Matisse. At just 20 years old, he became a member of "the Independent," working alongside Harry Kuyten and Kees Maks. His main subjects were landscapes, portraits, and elegant women. Women, in their warm desirable beings, were the subject of his vibrant artistic skills. Freek earned the nickname "Kees van Dongen of Kattenburg."

To cover his expenses, Freek worked as an art critic for three Dutch newspapers. In the early 60s, he designed stage settings for the Opera Forum. His vision of the world of theatre was flamboyant, and his colouristic imagination was overwhelmingly strong. During this period, he made many paintings of the ladies of the revue "My Fair Lady."

Freek made many trips to Chatou and Collioure, the cradle of Fauvism. He left Amsterdam in 1985 and settled in Veessen, in the east of the Netherlands. During his time in Amsterdam, Freek painted in an expressionistic manner, later moving more towards impressionism. However, even in Veessen, he remained loyal to the unmistakable colour scheme of "the wild animals." Yet, Freek van den Berg did not cling to Fauvism; he developed it into his own unique style.

Freek took part in a variety of exhibitions and was, for years, a loyal exhibitor at the Salon des Arts Hamdorff in Laren (The Netherlands). On his 80th birthday in 1998, he was honoured with the Monograph: "Freek van den Berg, Live with Colour." Freek passed away in 2000.

Markings in Luns; Mak van Waay; Jacobs; Pieter Scheen - Lexicon Dutch Artists 1750–1950.