Bart van der Leck
The Netherlands (1876—1958)Born in Utrecht, Van der Leck began his career as an assistant in stained-glass workshops before turning increasingly to painting and design. His painting developed towards increasingly simplified forms and the use of primary colours, reflecting his growing interest in the relationship between art and its surrounding environment. After moving to Laren in 1916, he met Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg, becoming one of the founding figures of De Stijl in 1917. His involvement with the group was brief: he left in 1918 because of disagreements over its artistic principles. During these years he produced some of his most iconic works, including The Tempest and Work at the Docks. He subsequently continued to explore the relationship between art and the built environment through architecture, interiors, textiles and ceramics, developing a highly personal approach that moved between abstraction and simplified representations of the visible world.
