five men drinking at circular table; clockwise from UL: man holding glass in PL hand; man with chin on table, staring in glass; unfinished sketch of man drinking; man with eyes closed and head resting in PR hand; man resting head on table

%C2%A9 Aart van Breda

The Drinkers, c. 1942

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In the early 1940’s, the Dutchman Aart van Breda was living in Antwerp, working as an illustrator. Belgium had been occupied by Nazi German military forces. Conditions were miserable, and no one knew when—or if—the situation would improve. In this drawing, which looks to the Expressionist art that Germans had used to criticize their own country in preceding decades, Van Breda lays bare the despair and depravity of a people who have lost hope.

Details
Title
The Drinkers
Artist Life
1913 - 1972
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2019.108.1
Provenance
The artist's estate, The Netherlands; [Onno van Seggelen Fine Arts, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 2017]; Private Collection, USA; [Mireille Mosler, Ltd., New York]; sold to MIA, 2019.
Curator Approved

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five men drinking at circular table; clockwise from UL: man holding glass in PL hand; man with chin on table, staring in glass; unfinished sketch of man drinking; man with eyes closed and head resting in PR hand; man resting head on table

© Aart van Breda

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