The Life and Training of Jo Gijsen

Jo Gijsen was born in Eindhoven on February 11, 1943. His early years were shaped by the practicalities of the Handelsdagschool in Eindhoven, where he first learned the fundamentals of his trade. This early training provided a foundation before he moved into more formal artistic study. Between 1963 and 1965, he attended the Academy for Industrial Design, working under the guidance of Kees Bol.

His path led him across the border to Antwerp in 1965. He was admitted directly into the fifth year at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Following this, he spent a year within the free painting department at the National Higher Institute for Fine Arts in Antwerp. During this time, he studied under Jan Vaerten and Rik Slabbinck, refining the technical skills that would follow him throughout his career.

Artistic Techniques and Diverse Mediums

Jo Gijsen’s hands moved between the heavy and the delicate. He worked with the weight of welded iron to create sculptures, a process that required a direct, physical engagement with the metal. His practice also extended to the more patient labor of stone sculpture. He spent time splitting stone, often working with the material to reveal its inherent form. This tactile approach to matter was a constant, whether he was shaping hard granite or working with the lighter, more fragile layers of paper collage.

The artist’s reach extended into the two-dimensional through oil painting and drawing. His paintings often carried the character of his sculptural work, sometimes incorporating elements of wood or iron into the composition. As a draftsman and collagist, he explored how different textures could sit together on a surface. There is a sense of the material's original state in his work, a focus on what the substance is rather than what it might be forced to become. He looked at stone, wood, iron, and paper, seeking the specific qualities inherent in each.

• Untitled (about 1988)

The Evolution of His Sculptural Style

In the early years of his career, Gijsen’s work focused on the tension between material and appearance. He used hard granite to mimic the softness of cushions, carving the stone to suggest a yielding surface. This play with perception extended to his more naturalistic studies, such as a pair of shoes carved to serve as a self-portrait. During this period, his hands worked to emphasize the maakbaarheid—the ability to shape and manipulate the substance before him.

A serious motorcycle accident in 1971 changed the physical way he interacted with his materials. As his movement became limited, he found that he could still split stone while sitting. This practical necessity shifted his focus toward the inherent properties of the rock itself. By the mid-1970s, he had moved into the process of stone splitting. Rather than forcing the material into a specific form, he began to work with the blocks created by the split, attempting to place them back together as closely as possible to respect their original state.

The Artistic Style of His Paintings

The sculptor’s hand remains visible in his paintings. There is a tactile quality to the work, as if the surface is something to be felt rather than just seen. He often incorporates wood and iron directly into his compositions, blurring the line between a flat surface and a three-dimensional object. These pieces frequently take the form of paper collages, where layers of material are built up to create a sense of physical presence. The textures are not smooth; they carry the weight of the materials used.

His palette relies heavily on earth tones. These colors ground the work, avoiding any sense of artificiality. The compositions are detailed and carefully thought out, yet they possess a quality that makes them seem as though they have formed on their own. There is a sense of raw, primordial force in the way he arranges these elements. He focuses on the inherent nature of the matter, using the textures of paper, wood, and metal to emphasize the original beauty of the substance itself.

Key Works and Notable Sculptures

His hands moved from the heavy weight of welded iron toward the more patient labor of stone. In 1971, he produced Beeld in drie delen in Rosmalen, a work that arrived during a period when his physical movements were becoming more restricted. This shift in his life led him to find a different rhythm in the resistance of stone. By 1978, he had created Gegolfd, and by 1980, he was working on Drie delen opgericht. These pieces reflect a preoccupation with how material can be split and rearranged, often focusing on the raw, original beauty of the substance itself rather than trying to force it into a recognizable shape.

The way he handled matter changed as he moved through the decades. He produced a work titled Sculpture in 1982, and later, in 1989, he created Sculpture in three parts. There is a sense of presence in these objects that comes from the way they occupy space, often appearing as if they have simply been found rather than manufactured. Around 1985, he produced an untitled work, a piece that exists without the need for a name to define its purpose. His practice often involved a quiet tension between the hardness of the medium and the way he chose to present it to the viewer.

• Beeld in drie delen (1971)
• Gegolfd (1978)
• Drie delen opgericht (1980)
• Sculpture (1982)
• Sculpture in three parts (1989)

Exhibitions and Public Presence

His work has moved through several specific spaces over the decades. In 1975, he showed his pieces at Keukenhof. Later, in 1980, he held an exhibition at Kruithuis. His presence in museum settings continued with a showing at the Van Abbemuseum in 1984, followed by an exhibition at the Nijmeegs museum in 1990.

Beyond these scheduled exhibitions, his sculptures have found a permanent place in the landscape. Much of his work is held in various public collections. You can find his pieces situated on village squares and within the centers of towns, where they exist as part of the everyday environment.