Toon Berghahn: Illuminating the Familiar and the Unfamiliar
Toon Berghahn, a distinguished Dutch painter born in 1970, has etched his name in the artworld. A graduate of Aki Enschede and Rietveld Akademie, both renowned institutions focusing on fine arts and design, Berghahn held his inaugural exhibition in 1998, marking the beginning of a prolific artistic journey. Numerous articles have been dedicated to his work, solidifying his status as one of the most respected Dutch artists today.
Berghahn’s paintings resonate with recognizability and familiarity, portraying spaces such as studios, museum halls, swimming pools, or sports arenas. Yet, simultaneously, they exude an alienating and disturbing quality. A house or modernist villa may find itself amidst a landscape, framed by a disorienting twilight sky, or nature might invade an indoor space through a window. Ethereal light, emanating from various sources, intensifies feelings of desolation or melancholy, while providing a sense of comfort. Human presence is merely suggested through subtle traces, often rooted in personal memories that Berghahn transforms into universal images, devoid of direct personal charge.
Berghahn’s artistic evolution is evident in his shift from focusing on the interiors of houses in 2019, emphasizing lighting and the presence of humans without depicting them directly, to his current exploration of exteriors with a focus on nature as inspiration. The paintings of abandoned buildings create a dual experience – a sense of safety and homeliness on the inside, juxtaposed with an unfamiliar and dark atmosphere outside. The use of a darker palette for nature reflects the artist’s concern about the uncertainty of nature in the face of climate change.
Berghahn’s distinctive technique involves painting on MDF boards, enabling him to layer thin coats of paint while maintaining a smooth texture. Additionally, he employs carving on the MDF surface, creating shadows and depths within the painting’s motifs. This unique approach allows him to convey a distinct feeling through his art.
The artist’s exploration of modern spaces, spatial and bathed in light, adds another dimension to his portfolio. Despite the prevalence of empty space, human presence is palpable through fixtures and fittings. These vibrant and bright compositions, adorned with exuberant furniture like pianos, bookshelves, and sofas, create a subliminal sense of comfort. Ethereal light remains a prominent tool, illuminating the paintings and adding to their comforting allure. Whether it be through the warm glow of glass chandeliers or the radiant sunlight on a summer day, Berghahn’s art invites viewers into a place that feels like a memory, simultaneously comforting and subtly evocative.
Toon Berghahn, geboren 14-04-1970 te Amsterdam
Opleiding
1993 – 1996 AKI Enschede
1990 – 1992 Rietveld Akademie
Tentoonstellingen
2024
Pan Amsterdam, Galerie Wilms
Big Art, Het Slotervaart
A Joy Forever, Luyks Gallery
Art Amsterdam/Kunstrai, Luycks Gallery
Ruimtelijke perspectieven, Luycks Gallery, met Nico de Wit
2023
Luminous Traces, NB Galleri (DK)
WAOU, NB Galleri
Art the Hague, Luycks Gallery
2022
VOUCH II, Loods 6
Art Amsterdam/Kunstrai, Luycks Gallery
Twilight Spaces, NB Gallery DK
WAOU, NB Gallery DK
Art the Hague, Luycks Gallery
2021
“Shimmering” Art Amsterdam, Solostand
VOUCH II, Lood 6, (vouch.nu), uitgesteld
2020
KunstRai 2020, Toon Berghahn solo, Luycks stand 8
Royal Drippings, Galerie Luycks met Simon Schrikker, V&B en Aquil Copier
VOUCH 2 (uitgesteld ivm Covid)
WOW Galleri NB
2019
Kunstgemaal 5 jaar
VOUCH the valid art valet, Loods 6
KunstRai 2019, Galerie Luycks
Vantage Point, NB Gallery
2018
This Art Fair, Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam
Shelter, Galerie Luycks Tilburg, solo
Art The Hague
KunstRai 2018
2017
Art The Hague, Luycks Gallery
META ART, Lage Egal Berlijn
ArtAmsterdam, NB Galleri DK
ForReal, Passenger Terminal Amsterdam, galerie Luycks
Appèl, Kazerne Eindhoven, galerie Luycks
Laterna Magica, NB Gallery DK, solo
2016
In The Act, Kunstgemaal, met Izaak Zwartjes
This Art Fair 2016
Material Matters, Concordia Enschede met Hidde van Schie, Jorn van Leeuwe, Rob Bouwman e.a.
Kunstrai 2016, Galerie Luycks stand nr. 42
VII Ways to get Out, KuuB Utrecht, met Rob Voerman, Lenneke van der Goot, Arno Kramer e.a.
Miscellanea, Galerie Lutz, Delft met Philipe Akkerman, Margreet Bouwman e.a.
Familiekamer Kunstprijs, de Familiekamer Leiden met Dieuwke Spaans en Robert Pauwels
2015
This Art Fair, Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam
Emergent, Luycks Gallery Tilburg, solo
A Joy For Ever, Luycks Gallery, Tilburg
Dazzling, NB Gallery Viborg, solo
2014
KunstRai 2014, Galerie Clement
Malen, Martin Fenne, Ge Karel vd Sterren, Toon Berghahn
Kunstgemaal Bronkhorst, curator Maarten Bertheux
Intervision, Galerie Clement
2013
SPACE/BODY, Galerie Clement, Amsterdam
Tekeningen tentoonstelling, Galerie Clement, Amsterdam met Aam Solleveld, Arno Kramer e.a.
We Like Art, Westergasfabriek, Amsterdam
KunstRai, Galerie Lutz, Standnummer 22
; Laag 92 van het Overschilderschilderij, De Aanschouw, Rotterdam
Re:Rotterdam, Toon Berghahn-Maurice Braspenning
MODERN DAYS, Galleri NB, Copenhagen
NordArt 2013, Büdelsdorf
XV Vilnius Painting Triennal, Painting Contexts, Vilnius
2012
Reflections, NBeX, Viborg
Art Copenhagen 2012, Galleri NB, standnr. 102
“How Art Things”, NEST, Den Haag
KUNSTRAI 2012, Toon Berghahn en Paul Nassenstein, Galerie Clement, Amsterdam
Viborg International Billboard Painting Festival met Marjolijn de Wit, Hugo Tieleman e.a.
OP DE HUID, Paul Nassenstein, Maurice Braspenning, Ge Karel van de Sterren en Toon Berghahn, Villa de Bank, Enschede
Publicaties
2022 Edo Dijksterhuis, Parool
2021 Shimmering, publicatie
2020 DELA, Reflectie, troost, doorgeven. Aanwinsten
2016 “In the Act” Anne Berk
Pandora. Kunsttijdschrift
2014 “Malen” Maarten Bertheux
2013 Eigenhuis en Interieur, Esther Darley
2012 NRC “How Art Things”, recensie, Nest
2011 ” Constructing Identity”, Haarlemsch Dagblad, recensie
2009 De Collectie, Arcadis
2006 Twentsche Courant, Schilder van de avondschemering, door Herman Haverkate
2004 Leeuwarder Courant, Mooier dan in het echt, recencie
Dagblad van het Noorden, Ijzige landschappen in Dokkum, recensie
ART-NL tijdschrift voor moderne kunst en design, Maurice Braspenning rug aan rug met Toon Berghahn, door Etienne Boileau
2002 Rijksmuseum Twenthe, AKI ontplooid, catalogus
2001 Het Parool,Burenruzie in reizende galerie, recensie
2000 Vijf jaar galerie Hellinga, boek
Uitgelicht 3, catalogus
BK-informatie, afbeelding
1999 Internationale prijs voor de schilderkunst, Koninklijke kunstkring Hoppeland, catalogus
Prijzen
2016 Nominatie Familiekamer Kunstprijs, met Dieuwke Spaans en Robert Pauwels
2005 nominatie Koninklijke Prijs voor Vrije Schilderkunst,GEM Museum voor Actuele Kunst te Den Haag
2004 nominatie Koninklijke Prijs voor Vrije Schilderkunst, Paleis op de Dam
1998 Beneluxprijs voor de Schilderkunst
Opdrachten
2005 Kalender Vereniging van Nederlandse Banken
1996 Sint Elisabeth Gasthuis, Deventer, muurschildering.
Docentschap
2002 Gastlessen in het Rijksmuseum Twenthe, AKI junior
Stipendia
2020 Projectsubsidie Mondriaanfonds
2016 Werkbeurs bewezen talent Mondriaan Fonds
2010 Basisstipendium, Fonds BKVB
2006 Basisstipendium, Fonds BKVB
2001 Basisstipendium, Fonds BKVB
Collecties
DELA Kunstcollectie
HEDEN Den Haag
AFM
Ministerie Binnenlandse Zaken
Hanseaten Select
Team Vier BV
Herning Gymnasium, DK
Ymere, Haarlem
CBK Groningen
Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum (LUMC)
Arcadis, Arnhem
ARTBANK, Den HAAG
Artoteek Schiedam