Jan van der Kooi (born in Groningen, January 16, 1957) is a Dutch painter and drawer in the style of figurative arts. He is often regarded as the best contemporary Dutch drawer and painter.About the works of Jan van der Kooi. By Frits Duparc, former director of the Mauritshuis, in Jan van der Kooi, drawer painter, Expositie Jan van der Kooi 'Leonardo's Leerling' in Dordrechts Museum (Jan van der Kooi's exhibition in Dordrechts Museum) Dordrecht TV, November 13, 2012Jan van der Kooi Friesch Dagblad, November 2012Jan van der Kooi exposeert in Franeker (Jan van der Kooi exhibits his work in Franeker) Drachtster Courant, June 26, 2013

Education Van der Kooi spent his childhood in Bedum. From 1980 to 1983 he studied at the art Academy Minerva in Groningen, where his teachers were Matthijs Röling and Martin Tissing.RKD Profile Netherlands Institute for Art History, retrieved February 24, 2015.

Work After his studies, he moved to the province of Friesland, where he started to work in the area of Drachten. Van der Kooi paints and draws landscapes, still lifes, portraits, nudes and animals.Jan van der Kooi Biography on publisher Art Revisited's website, retrieved February 5, 2015 Van der Kooi particularly focuses on painting sunlight in different places and climates, such as Peru, Nepal and Israel. Every year he visits Italy, where he studies the sunlight and landscapes of Venice and Tuscany.Jan van der Kooi painter, drawer Publisher Art Revisited's website on the book, retrieved February 5, 2015

Since 2007 he gives master classes at the Classical Academy for painters in Groningen, and since 2014 he gives master classes in the Middle East.Poster lecture Jan van der Kooi in Israel retrieved February 4, 2015 An Israeli painter invited Van der Kooi to come and give seminars, because there are few classical painters in Israel and Palestine due to the region's relatively short history in classical art.Jan van der Kooi, veel uit te pluizen en bloot te leggen (Jan van der Kooi, much to discover) Friesch Dagblad December 6, 2014Masterclasses over verwondering (Masterclasses) Friesch Dagblad December 6, 2014

In 2002 the life and works of Van der Kooi were featured on the national news and a documentary on the Dutch national television; in 2004 the educational children's television series Het Klokhuis had an episode about Van der Kooi’s drawings of tigers.Liever schilder dan Waku Waku (Rather a painter than on the board of a television show) Leeuwarder Courant Oktober 26, 2007Simpelweg licht, kleur en verf (Only light, colour and paint) Dagblad van het Noorden November 9, 2007 In 2007 his British friend and colleague Michael Reynolds invited Van der Kooi to participate in an exhibition of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters in LondonEngelsen ontdekken schilder Jan van der Kooi (The English discover painter Jan van der Kooi) Leeuwarder Courant February 5, 2007 and later that year Dame Emma Kirkby and Anthony Rooley performed at the opening of Van der Kooi's exhibition in in Eelde.Dame Emma Kirkby in Museum de Buitenplaats Dagblad van het Noorden November 5, 2007

In 2009 the four Dutch figurative painters Matthijs Röling, Pieter Pander, Pieter Knorr and Jan van der Kooi were invited by a gallery owner in Antwerp to exhibit their works on a joint exhibition entitled The four greats from the north.Noordelijke realisten naar Antwerpen (Northern realistic painters exhibit in Antwerp) Leeuwarder Courant September 9, 2009Friese kunst in Antwerpen (Frisian art in Antwerp) Friesch Dagblad Oktober 3, 2009 In 2012 posters of Van der Kooi’s tiger drawings were displayed at Dutch national railway stations to promote the exhibition in the Dordrechts Museum.

Van der Kooi makes drawings in a book that was also used by Michelangelo and Raphael and which has been in the possession of Christina, Queen of Sweden.

Exhibitions 1985 An art fair in Toronto.Friese kunst naar Toronto (Frisian art to Toronto) Leeuwarder Courant March 22, 1985 2002 Museum De Buitenplaats| in Eelde. At this exhibition the book Jan van der Kooi, painter, drawer was presented. 2005 Exhibition at Laurentius in Middelburg. Presentation of the book compiled with animal drawings from sketch books Bestiarium. 2007 London: The Royal Society of Portrait Painters, following an invitation by the British friend and colleague Michael Reynolds, and an exhibition in Museum De Buitenplaats| in Eelde. 2009 Antwerp: The four greats from the north exhibition of the four northern Dutch painters Matthijs Röling, Pieter Pander, Pieter Knorr and Jan van der Kooi. 2012 Leonardo’s student exhibition at Dordrechts Museum, visited by more than 35.000 people.Friese tekeningen langer in Dordrecht (Frisian drawings will be in Dordrecht for longer) Friesch Dagblad April 24, 2013 During this exhibition the book Jan van der Kooi, drawer, painter was presented. To promote this exhibition tiger drawings by Van der Kooi were displayed at Dutch national railway stations.Jan van der Kooi, Meestertekenaar (Master drawer) Dutch documentary made by Frank Peters on behalf of the Dordrechts Museum 2013 A Frisian painter in Italy in Museum Martena in Franeker. 2014 Theme exhibition about sunlight in Museum Arti Legi in Gouda. This exhibition was opened by the Dutch comedian Paul van Vliet; Princess Beatrix later visited the exhibition.Prinses Beatrix bezoekt expositie in Arti Legi (Princess Beatrix visits exhibition in Arti Legi) Algemeen Dagblad January 22, 2015 2017 Double exhibition Meisterzeichner - Weltentdecker ("Master drawer - explorer") in Rheine, Germany.Einer der wohl besten lebenden Kuenstler der Niederlande stellt in Rheine aus MV 7 January 2017Van der Kooi Ausstellung gilt als Leuchtturmprojekt MV 30 March 2017“Een vernieuwer ben ik niet, ik wil mooi werk maken” Actief 22 March 2017

Books 1995 - Recent works (Recent werk). Jan van der Kooi & Jaap Bruintjes. Publisher Art Media, Amsterdam. 2002 - Jan van der Kooi painter, drawer (schilder, tekenaar). Introductory written by Eric Bos & Diederik Kraaijpoel. Publisher Art Revisited, Marum. 2005 - Bestiarium. Featuring an introduction written by Theo Laurentius. Publisher Art Revisited, Marum. 2007 - Close at hand (Binnen handbereik). Compiled by Peter de Jong & Jan van der Kooi, introduction written by Pauline Broekema. Publisher Art Revisited, Marum. 2012 - Jan van der Kooi drawer, painter (tekenaar, schilder). Frits Duparc & Nicolaas Matsier. Publisher Thoth, Bussum. 2014 - Sunlight (Zonlicht). In conjunction with the theme exhibition in Arti Legi.

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