MARCUS FINE ART
Marcus de Haan
Name - Marcus Jan Hendrikus de Haan
Nationality - Dutch
Date of Birth - 22 May 1971, Groningen the Netherlands
Residence - Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Florence, Italy. Studio address - Via della Founderia 51 in Florence
Instagram: @marcus.de.haan.
Education:
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Regular master classes by expert painters to continue expanding my skills and craftsmanship
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Graduate of a three year intense drawing- and painting program of the Florence Academy of Art, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). Graduated in 2023.
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Holding a master in Business Administration from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Graduated in 1997.
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Previous work experience (last 25 years):
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Strategy- and branding adviser, senior design manager, client- and program director, New Business developer all in the field of International Branding, Design and Advertising.
Former 400 meter hurdler champion and member of the Dutch team (1990-1992)
Vision on Art
“A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.” Paul Cezanne
I am guided as a painter to identify my reactions to what I see around me, thereby combining the essence of that feeling and applying it on canvas. In a portait I strive to connect to the viewer by communicating my underlying interpretation, that may or may not be directly apparent at any given moment when someone views my work.
“Beauty perishes in life, but is immortal in art.” Leonardo da Vinci
Through art we acknowledge and honor the beauty that surrounds us, it could be as simple as a smile or a reaching hand gesture. Or a flower in full blossom. But it is temporary and therefore precious.
As an artist I try to seek the beauty in the ordinary and in the complex human emotions intertwined in life itself. I have sought beauty my whole life and such visual memories are the most prominent from my childhood. These images and memories have always acted as a source of clarity and endurance when life is proving a challenge. These visual memories continually provide succour and build confidence in myself and understand my place in the world as with the passage of time I become more connected to my environment and my experience of other people engenders empathy. Because beauty is in all seasons and of all ages, as it grows, fades and dies away with the promise of renewal at another time.
Exhibitions
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Upcoming October 2025 XV FLORENCE BIENNALE 2025, selected and admitted by the International Selection Committee. The Florence Biennale is the major contemporary art and design exhibition in Florence and one of the world’s leading contemporary art exhibitions. More than 600 artists and designers from 84 countries participated in the last edition, which was held under the patronage of European Parliament, Italian Commission for UNESCO, Italian Ministry of Culture, Tuscany Region and Municipality of Florence, and attended by mjore than 13,000 visitors
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2024 - IN THE LIGHT OF FLORENCE international group-exhibition 27 till 29 September – Sponsored by the Pneuma Art Foundation, I was selected as one of 25 Florentine painters and sculptors to exhibit my latest work at the In the Light of Florence international group exhibition at via dei Serragli 51 in Florence. The exhibition united a select group of local up and coming figurative artists who are dedicated to continuing and renewing the long tradition of craft, prestige and excellence of Florence as a city of the visual arts. The event attracted over 4000 visitors over the three days.
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2024 - SECRET FLORENCE summer festival project - open studio at Via della Fonderia 16 july 20204. An initiative by Fabrica Europa and sponsored by the Florentine local authority, various regional Art institutes.
The road less travelled
Art and painting came into my life when I decided that it was time for change, to share and give to my fellow human beings, making the move from Amsterdam to Florence in 2020. Inspired by the beauty and craftsmanship of classical Italian Renaissance art, I re-examined the rich history of my fellow Dutch painters from the past. I cannot imagine a world without painting anymore, which acts as my bridge to the world of my thoughts and feelings.
At the academy I was introduced to oil painting for the first time ever. We learned to work from life under natural northern light, in the tradition of the masters of the past like Titian, Rembrandt, Velázquez and Sargent. Sight-size method, measurement, proportion and shadow shape were all new terms in my vocabulary which I had to become familiar with as an artist. The letters of Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo introduced me to the painters world of experience. A new path I am walking in my life. I have take a road less travelled as an artist, but where along the way I am encountering an array of people that continually inspire me.