Watching the time go by (2020)

A World Between: The Poetic and Ironic Art of Jacques Tange

In Jacques Tange’s retrospective, various themes are discussed, which play an important role in his mostly stylized figurative pastel drawings, paintings and sculptures with repetitive patterns. With mild ironic humor and an imaginative power of his own, he observes the relationship between man and woman, the urban jungle and the isolation of man, as well as other social themes that passed in review over the course of his long career. 

Inspired by the illuminated manuscripts from the Middle Ages, artists such as Chagall and Matisse and the vast Zeeland landscape, Tange creates a world that is as recognizable as it is strange with balanced compositions, strong lines and bright colors. A closed, voyeuristic world, light and airy but with an unmistakably melancholic edge. A world populated by archetypes and metaphors, which, in combination with its often poetic titles, leaves the viewer in doubt. 

During his 35-year career, Jacques Tange has been recognized in many ways in his own country and far beyond. In 2005 he became National Artist of the Year and this year he was also one of the nominees. Tange’s work has been exhibited all over the world and included in many (inter) national collections and publications, including the Stedelijk Museum in Schiedam and other museums at home and abroad.