The artist, his muse and work
Herman André van de Brake was born in 1951 in the Noordoostpolder (farmer’s land, conquered from the sea). Since an early age he developed a preference for space and wide skies.
He grew up in a hard-working Christian farmer’s family with ten children. This characterizes the way of life: get to work, put your shoulder to the wheel, don't whine and no time for 'nonsense'.
As a child he already distinguished himself by his dreamy attitude. He reads a lot and likes to draw, prefers to be alone in nature and can daydream for hours at pictures in the world atlas or images of ancient cultures.
He started painting at a young age, preferably on wood. Initially, the 'paintworks' are sober in color and composition.
The use of earth tones is central.
Van de Brake was trained as a gardener and worked at a psychiatric institution, where he maintained the gardens and the park. By this his love for trees was strengthened, and in his spare time he started carving wooden statues, which strongly resemble totem poles or fertility statues.
Trees stand dead,
full of emotionless wood in timeless time.
New light in the world, for you, for myself.
I would like to carve a hundred statues.
I would like to carve everything I love.
Large statues full of love.
From: Carved out & Washed up, 1996
He travels a lot, preferably to rough, sparsely populated regions, but never outside Europe.
He never had an education in the arts. He is completely self-taught. His work is very layered. It reflects the landscape, his many travels, is full of moods and emotions and contains countless references to current and past events.
In 1994 he meets Kika (Henriette Haveman, 1966-2022).
She becomes his partner and muse, who supports him in everything.
Kika radiates joy of life and that is reflected in his work. He develops a unique style of his own. The color splashes off.
In 2005, during a trip to Spain, they discover the abandoned and severely neglected finca south of the Moncayo (a mountain range approximately 150 km south of the Pyrenees). With unwavering perseverance and hard work, they ‘reform’ the place into their own sober ideal domain. An oasis of peace in harmony with nature, where they retreat from raging society.
People walk through the world like a hunted horse
with eyes bigger than greed.
They build castles for themselves, which are just out of reach.
That is how they dream in the air.
From: Carved out & Washed up, 1996
Since then, they divide their time between their Dutch hometown of Fochteloo and the Spanish finca, where Van de Brake continues to work on his Art Brut.
They live very much on their own, at one with nature, with a minimum of luxury and earthly goods.
In 2022, Kika's life and their togetherness come to an abrupt end. Her name and colorful personality live on in Kika Art del Moncayo, which houses Van de Brake's Art Brut. He even has a special work and storage space built for it.
Work by Kika
