Reinhoud d´Haese - Original Mixed Media

1996

This striking mixed media portrait features Belgian CoBrA artist Reinhoud d’Haese, known simply as “Reinhoud,” captured in a joyful, candid moment. Originally a black-and-white photographic portrait printed on fine watercolor paper, the work was transformed by the artist himself in 1996 into a unique, vibrant piece.
Reinhoud reworked the image by painting over it with a playful composition of whimsical, bird-like and anthropomorphic figures. These painted elements are closely related to the theatrical, fantastical characters that appeared throughout his sculptural work—often in bronze—blending elements of carnival, mythology, and satire. In this composition, they dance across the paper, forming a dynamic and humorous contrast to the photographic realism of his own smiling portrait.
Bottom right on the mount signed by hand and dated (19)96 by the photographer Aernout Overbeeke. 

In 1995 Dutch photographer Aernout Overbeeke (b.1951) made a remarkable series of portraits of seventeen renowned CoBrA-artists. At a distance of three meters Overbeeke zoomed in on the hands and eyes. The portraits were printed on large-size watercolour paper.  

These portraits were transformed by the CobrA-artists themselves in their own style into unique mixed-media pieces, using techniques such as watercolor, drawing, crayons and pencil. The series was exhibited at the CoBrA Museum of Modern Art in Amstelveen. Here we present one of those portraits. 

The work is framed in a bespoke black wooden frame, handmade in The Netherlands, with Plexiglas® Optical HC for visual clarity and protection of the delicate print. 
Size framed: approx. 120 x 85 cm 

Reinhoud d’Haese (1928–2007) was a Belgian sculptor and visual artist associated with the CoBrA movement. He developed a unique visual vocabulary of hybrid creatures—half-human, half-animal—that are both grotesque and poetic. His works are celebrated for their playfulness, humor, and inventive use of form. His legacy continues to influence contemporary sculpture and the CoBrA lineage.