Besoin d’Amour series
Sander Kletter, Joli Tango, series 'Besoin d'Amour', acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 100 x 80 cm, private collection Mrs. A. Bakker, Arnhem (The Netherlands)
Virtually everyone will agree that humans need love. The French language is the language of love, they say. Needing love in French is 'besoin d'amour'. I started the series in 1990 and continued to add works to it over the years. The series is made up of dozens of oil paintings, mixed techniques on linen and paper, collages and viewing boxes, as well as an incalculable number of drawings.
A large number of my predecessors in art history, poets, writers and visual artists, created works of art that are about love. Reflecting on those works that are about love is a possible starting point for a new work of art. You can also find inspiration in Bible stories, Greek mythology and fairy tales. Themes abound when it comes to love. Thinking about love also easily brings up associations. The expectations people have of each other in a romantic relationship. Having children out of love, literally being pregnant. The innocence of puberty, the ultimate happiness you can feel when you are in love, or the pain of heartbreak, jealousy and the pain you feel when someone has cheated on you, the glorification of female beauty, eroticism and the phenomenon of prostitution. Just to name a few of those associations.
Partly inspired by the work of the great Norwegian artist Edvard Munch and his Life Frieze, which, in addition to love, also addresses themes such as death and illness, I have always enjoyed working on the Besoin d'Amour series. The series was shown individually in various combinations in Amsterdam, Bergen op Zoom, Drachten, Hardenberg, Huizen, Scheemda, Winschoten and Paris (FR). Individual works from the series have been shown in group exhibitions in Amsterdam, Den Bosch, Haarlem and Veendam. The special thing is that almost all works that belong to the series have also found a buyer. The theme of love and temptation is felt and recognized by many, isn't it? Maybe it's also my humorous streak that attracted buyers?! Anyway, I have always experienced that love touches one of the most sensitive chords of the human soul...
Sander Kletter, October 2023
Every human being needs love
One of many newspaper articles about Besoin d'Amour that appeared in the Dutch press about the series, this article was published in Brabants Nieuwsblad in 1996.
Sander Kletter, Route fleurissant, acrylic and mixed media on paper, 88 x 63 cm
Sander Kletter, Danae, acrylic and collage on paper, 70 x 100 cm
Sander Kletter, De mijsjes van Ola-la, oil on linen, 80 x 100 cm, private collection Mr. and Mrs. Schott, Spain
Sander Kletter, Be sweet Maria (2), acrylic and mixed media on paper, 86 x 56 cm, private collection, Mr and Mrs Imminga, Almere (The Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Sleeping Beauty, mixed media and collage on paper, 42 x 57 cm, private collection Mr. at Mrs. Sloots, Winschoten (The Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Forbidden Fruit, mixed media on paper, 42 x 57 cm
Sander Kletter, Be sweet Maria (1), mixed media on paper, 90 x 60 cm, Streekziekenhuis Coevorden Hardenberg collection, Hardenberg (The Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Aurora, mixed media on paper, 28 x 18 cm, Mrs. Beljaars private collection, Leiden (The Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Spring flirt, mixed media on paper, 80 x 80 cm, private collection, Lochem (The Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Kitchen princess, mixed media on paper, 57 x 42 cm, private collection Mr. E. Maas, Assen (The Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Man's Love, mixed media on paper, 57 x 42 cm
Sander Kletter, A'dam e Eva, acrylic and mixed media on paper, 42 x 62 cm, Museum Waterland collection, Purmerend (The Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, The Three Graces, acrylic and mixed media on paper, 50 x 60 cm,
private collection Mr and Mrs Defourny, Overveen (The Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Selene's Soft Light, mixed media and collage on paper, 57 x 42 cm, private collection of Mrs. W. Van Hardeveld, Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Spring Sonata, mixed media on paper, 57 x 42 cm, private collection Mr. J. Brenneraedts, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Once upon a time..., mixed media and collage on paper,
42 x 57 cm, private collection Mr. B. Ververs, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Garden of Persephone, mixed media on paper, 42 x 57 cm
Sander Kletter, Queen of the Night, mixed media and collage on paper, 49 x 64 cm
Sander Kletter, Of flowers and bees, mixed media and collage on paper, 50 x 60 cm
Sander Kletter, Kirkè, mixed media on paper, approximately 25 x 15 cm, private collection of Mrs T. Middag, Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Lovebirds, mixed media and collage on paper, 50 x 65 cm,
private collection, Alkmaar (The Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Her last night, watercolor and collage on paper, 46 x 61 cm,
private collection Mr and Mrs Jaspers, Haarlem (Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Renaissance, mixed media on paper, 59 x 46 cm, private collection of Mrs P. Van der Knaap, Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Journey to Italy (2), mixed media on paper, 50 x 60 cm,
collection SBK IJmond Noord, Beverwijk (Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Viagem à Itália (1), aquarela e tinta sobre papel, 50 x 60 cm
Sander Kletter, Mister X, mixed media and collage on paper, 70 x 100 cm
Sander Kletter, Expectations, mixed media and collage on paper, 70 x 100 cm, private collection, Alkmaar (The Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Expectations, mixed media on plywood, 90 x 110 cm,
private collection Mr. R. Nuijt, Amsterdam R. Nuijt, Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
Sander Kletter, Various mates, collage/mixed media on plywood, 111 x 150 cm