Dutch artist Tom Claassen (1964) has been active in the arts both nationally and internationally for more than 25 years. He is primarily known for his pieces created for public venues – not only in the art circuit, but also by the public at large. Almost everyone has seen his family of elephants along the A6 motorway in Almere or has stumbled across his two enormous sitting men at Schiphol Airport.
Claassen’s work is often positioned along the border between culture and nature and is firmly rooted in the sculpture tradition, while at the same time featuring an original, playful and personal touch. His works in public spaces, like the elephants, sparrows donning pearl necklaces in Haarlem and drooling dog in a Tilburg park, are endearing, in spite of their enormity. It is precisely this extreme magnification that creates an interruption in the landscape or urban cityscape, while the often soft and rounded shapes and awkwardness of the animal with its own weight invite us to caress them. But this proves to be deceitful, since the material that looks so soft and inviting is actually bronze. Likewise, those sculptures that appear hard and uninviting to the touch turn out to be made of rubber.
The work of Tom Claassen can also be found in the collections of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Centraal Museum in Utrecht, Museum Beelden aan Zee in Scheveningen, and the Gateway Foundation in St. Louise, USA.
Education
1984-1989 St.Joost, Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Breda, The Netherlands
Awards
1994 Charlotte Köhler Award
1993 Incentive Price, Stichting Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, Amsterdam
1992 Prix de Rome
Solo exhibitions
2019
The Classics – Galerie Fons Welters Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2014
Stedelijk Museum Kampen, The Netherlands
2011
Tom Claassen, Coda Museum Apeldoorn, The Netherlands
Tom Claassen, Eek & Ruijgrok, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
2010
Tom Claassen – Onnimals, Kristiansand Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Norway
Tom Claassen – Retrospectief, Kunsthal Kade, Amersfoort, The Netherlands
2009
Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2007
Sabic Europe, Sittard, The Netherlands
2006
Beelden, Kunstfort, Vijfhuizen, The Netherlands
2005
Rosarium, Winschoten, The Netherlands
2004
Rocky Lumbs, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2003
Maliebeeld, Den Haag, The Netherlands
2002
Galerie Olaf Stüber, Berlin, Germany
2001
Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Hülle, Museum Kranenburg, Germany
1999
In the wasteland, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Kunstvereniging Diepenheim, Diepenheim, Germany
Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Vereniging van het S.M.A.K., Gent, Belgium
1997
Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Bergkerk, Deventer, The Netherlands
Exposorium VU, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1994
Car Crash, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1992
De Loods, Breda, The Netherlands
1991
Lokaal 01, Breda, The Netherlands
1990
Adrian Wulfse Startgalerie, Stichting Het Museum, Amersfoort, The Netherlands
Group exhibitions
2019
‘One Way Ticket to Mars’, Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort, NL
‘Raketstart – Nieuwe beeldende kunst uit Breda’, Stedelijk Museum Breda, Breda, NL
ARTZUID, Amsterdam, NL
‘The Classics; Tom Claassen, Job Koelewijn, Maria Roosen, Berend Strik’, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, NL
2018
‘Out of Office’, Singer Museum Laren, Laren, NL
2016
‘Move On’, Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, NL
‘Hondenleven’, Galerie LUMC, Leiden, NL
‘Vee in beeld’, Villa Mondriaan, Winterswijk, NL
2014
Luchtkastelen op Sypesteyn, nestkasten & vogelhuizen van hedendaagse kunstenaars, Kasteel-Museum Sypesteyn, Loosdrecht, The Netherlands
2013
Beeldig Hof ter Saksen 12: ab homine creatum, Park Hof ter Saksen, Beveren, The Netherlands
2012
Group Show, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2011
Tast-Zin, Arti et Amicitae, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Atelier, De Vishal, Haarlem, The Netherlands
De proloog, Piet Hein Eek, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
2010
Beeld Hal Werk, Amsterdam Noord, The Netherlands
Floor Corner Wall: Selected Work from the Rachofsky Collection, Fort Worth Contemporary Arts, Dallas, USA
2009
Art Zuid (Internationale Sculptuurroute Amsterdam 2009), Apollolaan, Minervalaan, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2008
Antwerp Sculpture Show, Lokaal 01, Antwerp, Belgium
Kort is de tijd, en onherroepelijk, Beeldenpark Vijversburg, Tytsjerk, The Netherlands
2007
A selection from the collection of contemporary art, Kroller Muller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands
Group show with Gallery Artists, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Veertig jaar kunstbeleid op de VU, Exposorium VU, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Twintig Beelden, Exposorium Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Shelter; Tenten, hutten en andere schuilplaatsen, Museum de Fundatie/ Kasteel Het Nijenhis, Heino/ Wijhe, The Netherlands
2006
Group Show with Gallery Artists, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
TPG Post Modern: Een keuze uit de collectie, Maliebeeld, Den Haag, The Netherlands
Beaufort 2006, Middelkerke-Westende, Belgium
Beesten in de bank, De Nederlandsche Bank, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2005
Territoria, Prato and the Bisenzio Valley, Italy
H x B x D: The Rabobank Art Collection, Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag, The Netherlands
Nog nooit vertoond, Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
De Paleistuin, Den Haag Sculptuur, Den Haag, The Netherlands
Kind en Kunst V, Coda Museum, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands
Kus, Kunst uit de stad, Breda, The Netherlands
2004
Skulptur. Prekärer Realismus Zwischen Melancholie und Komik, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Austria
Vloedwerk, Stichting Beeldende Kunst Manifestatie, Heemskerk, The Netherlands
Body Talk, Museum Beelden aan Zee, Scheveningen, The Netherlands
Den Haag Sculptuur 2004: Giganten, Europese Spraakmakers, Den Haag, The Netherlands
Bestiae Animatae, Cobra Museum, Amstelveen, The Netherlands
2003
Group show – New work by Gallery Artists, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Passie in Beeld, ruimtelijk werk uit de collectie van de Nederlandse Bank, Maliebeeld, Den Haag, The Netherlands
Hof van Heden, Hortus Haren, Haren, The Netherlands
Gnome Sweet Gnome, Keukenhof, Lisse, The Netherlands
De grote verbeelding, Grote Kerk, Den Haag, The Netherlands
Vitrine op De Strip, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands
Bergkerk Museum Beelden aan Zee, Deventer, The Netherlands
2002
Group Show, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Een Keuze, Aanwinsten 2001, De Nederlandsche Bank, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Contemporary Art from The Netherlands, European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2001
Sculpture avenue Foch, Le Havre, France
Floating Time, Den Bosch, The Netherlands
Figures Libres, FRAC, Frache-Comté, Vesoul, France
2000
Summer Show with artists from the gallery, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Group Show, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Over the edges- Op de hoeken van Gent, S.M.A.K., Gent, Belgium
Wereldexpo, Hannover, Germany
Lustwarande. Pleasure Garden, De Oude Warande, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Mythos Wasser, Gerhard Marcks-Haus, Bremen, Germany
De Appel van Newton, Lokaal 01, Breda, The Netherlands
1999
Ruimtelijk werk in het bezit van Art&Project, Rijksmuseum Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
Tom Claassen, ACHK De Paviljoens, Almere, The Netherlands
Serendipity (The Borders of Europe), Watou, Belgium
Panorama 2000, Dom, Centraal Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Glad IJs, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1998
The Nature of Man, Konsthall Lund, Sweden
Mutatis Mutandis, Boerenkerk, Zwolle, The Netherlands
Förderkoje, Solo presentation Art Cologne, Köln, Germany
Beelden voor het stadserf, Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam, The Netherlands
1997
De Steen Vliegt – Beeldende verkenningen geinspireerd door Spinoza, Arti en Amicitae, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Take 3, Centraal Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlandse
Bergkerk, Deventer, The Netherlands
Zomergasten. Aanwinsten Collectie hedendaagse Kunst, Noord-Brabants Museum, Den Bosch, The Netherlands
1996
De Muze als Motor, Beeldende Kunst in Brabant 1945-1996, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Dutch entry for 23th Biennal, Sao Paulo Biennial, Brazil
Genuine Fiction (the real thing), W139, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1995
Summer Show, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Group Show, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
De Opstand der Dingen, CBK Dordrecht, The Netherlands
Raw Material, Kröller Müller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands
Scanning Sculpture, Artis, Den Bosch, The Netherlands
Opname, Ignatius Ziekenhuis, Breda, The Netherlands
Aankopen Stadscollectie Breda 1991-1994, Breda, The Netherlands
Tom Claassen (With Rineke Dijkstra), Stedelijk Museum Bureau, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
4th Biennal of Instanbul, Instanbul, Turkey
1994
Voorwaar, De Garage, Hoorn, The Netherlands
De Cilinder, in het kader van de reeks zomerbeelden, Culturele Raad Goes, Goes, The Netherlands
Art Hotel, Galerie Fons Welters at Hilton Hotel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Het Grote Gedicht. Nederlandse Beeldhouwkunst 1945-1994, Grote Kerk, Den Haag, The Netherlands
1993
Art Contemporain, Stand Galerie Fons Welters, Art Fair Brussels, The Netherlands
Reis naar het einde van het atelier, Lokaal 01, Breda, The Netherlands
Coulissen, Park Wolfslaar, Breda, The Netherlands
1992
Peiling 92, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Prix de Rome, Beeldhouwen/ Beeldende Kunst en Openbaarheid, Museum Fodor, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Multiple Difference, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1991
UMSONST, Lighthouse-IBK, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
1989
Start 89, Centraal Beheer, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands
Zomeropstelling, Galerie Seegeren, Breda, The Netherlands
Commissions
Gemeente Haarlemmermeer, The Netherlands
Gemeente Groningen, The Netherlands
Heijmans bv, Rosmalen, The Netherlands
Gemeente Groningen, The Netherlands
Gemeente Almelo, The Netherlands
Anningahof, Zwolle, The Netherlands
Stadsdeel IJburg, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Verpleeghuis Atlant/ de Heemhof, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands
Nederlandse Postkantoren BV, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Rijkswaterstaat, Almere, The Netherlands
P.C.N., Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Kunsthal Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Stichting Amarant, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Stichting de Zonnehof, Haarlem, The Netherlands
Gemeente Vlaardingen, The Netherlands
Stichting Mesos Medisch Centrum, The Netherlands
Gemeente Utrecht, The Netherlands
Gemeente Almere, The Netherlands
Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Gemeente Den Haag, The Netherlands
Gemeente Harderwijk, The Netherlands
Gemeente Breda, The Netherlands
Gemeente Apeldoorn, The Netherlands
Ahold BV, The Netherlands
Collections
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Achmea Kunstcollectie, Tilburg, The Netherlands
FRAC France – Comte – Dole
Gateway Foundation, St Louis, United States
Bouwfonds, Hoevelaken, The Netherlands
Akzo Nobel Art Foundation, The Netherlands
ABN AMRO Bank, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Rabobank Nederland, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
KPN Kunstcollectie, Den Haag, The Netherlands
Museum Beelden aan Zee, Scheveningen, The Netherlands
Stadscollectie Gemeente Breda, The Netherlands
Nederlandse Textiel Museum, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Noord-Brabants Museum, Den Bosch, The Netherlands
Centraal Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands
The Rachofsky Collection. Dallas, USA
