JOHANNES BOEKHOUDT | THE ‘ARTIST OF THE CROSSES’

JOHANNES BOEKHOUDT | THE ‘ARTIST OF THE CROSSES’

Boekhoudt is an exclusive self-taught fine art painter with more than twenty years of experience. His original modern expressionist artwork is indeed one of a kind since Boekhoudt does not create nor authorize any reproductions of his artwork. He has an exceptionally loyal clientele since they can privately own original museum quality artwork that will never be displayed on a commercial level. Boekhoudt’s clientele includes high profile entrepreneurs, CEOs, and professionals in several locations around the world.
Boekhoudt was born in (1966) in Willemstad Curacao, Dutch Antilles. At an early age, his family moved to Costa Rica, where he adopted all his Latin American influences. Rich with this mix of culture, he blends
inspirations from Europe, Africa, and Latin America into his work.

Johannes Boekhoudt is a Dutch artist. b. 1966, in Willemstad, Curaçao Dutch Antilles.
His Mother was a Secretary of the Bonaire Government in the Dutch Caribbean. His father was a businessman. He lived his early years on Bonaire Island. In 1973 Boekhoudt immigrated with his parents to Costa Rica, Central America, where he easily blended into the Latin American culture. Later in the ’90s, he became a commercial pilot in Costa Rica and in the States.

During his years as a pilot, he briefly worked as an air ambulance pilot and was shocked at the fragility of life and decided that his career as a pilot had run its course. In 1999, he married Erika and moved to Houston, Texas, in the United States. Boekhoudt and his wife have two sons, Nickolas and Christopher. Not satisfied with his previous career, on September 11, (2001), the catastrophic event of 911 inspired him to work towards his dream, be an expressionist artist and raise his voice through his paintings. Meanwhile, he was certified as an Intra aortic balloon technician, which was a resource to advance his career as a professional artist. During short moves to and from Houston and McAllen, TX, he created small formats of paintings from a makeshift studio in his garage.

In 2001 he began to exhibit his work as part of group exhibitions. And also went to New York to look for opportunities as an artist. In New York, he presented photos of his artwork produced in Houston, including works in crosses, later becoming his signature style. During this visit, he had an opportunity to exhibit at the Venezuelan Consulate art gallery with masters in that period. The director of this gallery, Julio Aguilera, is also an artist and suggested that he meet a known private auction dealer.

In SOHO of Lower Manhattan in New York City, Boekhoudt met with this private auction dealer to have him curate his works. After reviewing his works, the dealer stated that he had not seen the cross style before, as presented in the entire painting. He stated that Picasso and other artists have incorporated some crosses into an artwork but not the entire piece.
He advised that Boekhoudt dedicated himself to creating more works with the cross technique and stated that he continues with that style: “You would become later on a well-known artist.”
Now he is best known as the ‘artist of the crosses’, a distinctive style made of brushstrokes by which his work can be analyzed. He works in all formats, especially in large oil on linen and canvas.
He also creates drawings, mixed media works, and collages, which have become very collectible. After exploring impressionism, pointillism, and the cubism style, Boekhoudt finds himself in an abstract world.

As an inventive creator, he also makes construction element sculptures out of different materials such as wood and old clock pieces. Boekhoudt is a self-taught international artist. He combines figurative and abstraction elements in his works. Boekhoudt is most heavily influenced by old master painters like Jean Michel Basquiat, Willem de Kooning, Joan Miró, and Pablo R. Picasso. The divergence of Boekhoudt’s own style from the masters before him was not easy. He has dedicated many years of perseverance and dedication to the creation of his signature works. He developed a unique style despite the turbulent artistic world.

Read the full article on Art Market Magazine Issue #51