“Being an artist, the words intention and creativity are always on my mind. ”
— Luc Leestemaker
Upon moving to the US in 1990, Leestemaker, continuing a longstanding cultural tradition in his family, committed himself to painting full time, following in the footsteps of other European and Dutch artists, notably Willem de Kooning and Mondrian, for whom living and working in the US inspired a dramatic creative transition. His stylistic journey led from early influences by the CoBrA movement, through densely abstract expressionist compositions, to the Inner Landscape and Transfiguration series, inspired both by Mark Rothko and 17th and 18th Century Dutch and English landscape painters including Constable and Ruysdael.
With his contemporary abstracted landscapes as a solid foundation, more recent compositions, as “Voyagers” and “Map of The Wind” take the viewer into a new generation of abstract expressionism, in which landscape and abstraction increasingly merged. The most recent “Allegories” “Songs of the Unconscious” and "Haiku" explored even deeper layers of fluidity in his painting.
In 2006 the award winning Canadian composer Vincent Ho (Composer in Residence at the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra), used four paintings of the artist as inspiration for a chamber music work in four parts, titled “Four Paintings By Leestemaker.” Funded by the Canadian Arts Council this work was performed at a number of music festivals throughout China. The video artist and animator Edber Mamesao choreographed a 20 minute visual interpretation of this composition and a DVD version of this compilation is part of a new substantial hardcover book about the artist’s life and work, published by Skylark Press. September 2007 saw the world premiere of “Breaking Through the Canvas” at the Pasadena Museum of California Art; a choreography by Lineage Dance Company, inspired by Leestemaker’s paintings, set to music by Vincent Ho.
Leestemaker’s paintings are exhibited throughout the US and internationally, increasingly becoming a part of major corporate and private collections. Two retrospective museum exhibitions were held in 2004. Boston Galerie d’Orsay hosted an exhibition with a selection of the museum works for the artist in 2005. The documentary “Swimming Through the Clouds” about the artist’s life and work, was screened at a number of film festivals around the world and broadcast by Link TV, a culture and arts satellite network.
Selected corporate and public collections - Bakersfield Museum of Art, California. Bellagio Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Estrella-Banner Medical Campus, Phoenix, AZ. Four Seasons Hotel, Bahamas, Genzyme, International Headquarters, Boston, Mass. Harvard University - Offices of Neuro-Science Department, Cambridge, Mass. Las Vegas International Airport. Miramax Films. Mitsubishi-Shiodome Project, Tokyo, Japan. 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, Los Angeles. Toyota USA Headquarters, Torrance, CA. Iris A. Walsh Foundation, Winnipeg, Canada
The artist collaborated with famed composer and musician Charlie Haden and created the artwork for Haden’s 2005 Grammy Award-winning CD “Land of the Sun.” His collaboration with Hollywood’s film industry has led to a number of film and television projects including “Spider-Man,” “Bringing Down the House,” “Erin Brockovich,” “Simone,” “Shopgirl,” “American Dreamz”, “Spider-Man 3”, “Fracture”, and “Boston Legal”.
In 2010 Skylark Press published "The Intentional Artist; Stories of my Life," a series of essays by the artist with an overview of paintings spanning twenty years. Other Books Published: "Luc Leestemaker, Paintings 1990-2000" SWC Editions, 2000. "Luc Leestemaker; Landscapes" SWC Editions, 2002 "Luc Leestemaker; The Voyage" Skylark Press, 2007.
When not traveling Luc Leestemaker lived and worked in Los Angeles, California. He died of cancer on May 18, 2012.
Madison Gallery will be showcasing Luc Leestemaker’s series of paintings from 1990-2012 in this exhibit, "Stories From My Life," August 4-September 15th 2012.
