Ossip Zadkine: Mens, Mythe & Metamorfose / Man, Myth & Metamorphosis

Exhibition at Museum Jan, Amstelveen, 16 May – 9 November 2025

The work of French-Russian sculptor Ossip Zadkine (1888–1967) is replete with mythological figures, notably Diana, Narcissus and Orpheus. Zadkine identified particularly with the latter. Just as Orpheus was able to make animals, plants and even rocks dance with his music, the artist brought matter to life with his hands. Zadkine also transformed his own story into a myth. He recounted that the idea of becoming an artist came to him as a child, after he fell and put his hand in some clay. From that moment on, Zadkine allowed himself to be guided by nature, which he considered a source of perpetual change.

This exhibition catalogue presents sculptures, paintings and engravings from Dutch museum collections and private collections. They illustrate the artist's close relationship with the Netherlands, where he had many friends. After 1945, his work was featured in almost every exhibition of modern sculpture organised in the Netherlands. Zadkine's importance to the development of Dutch sculpture in the 20th century was undeniable, but the reverse is also true: Zadkine became one of the most influential artists of international modernism partly thanks to his good contacts in the Netherlands.