Expansionist ART Empire

Wonderful to enjoy Molly's art and my photographs in the EAE STUDIO at Nieuwe Rijn 94, Leiden on this last Saturday of January. Here is the photo of my provisions for 2 - 5 pm entitled: “New acrobatics of an apple, an orange and two tangerines”.

HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY MOLLY!!
Have a nice party with all of your friends after 4 PM in the EAE STUDIO, Nieuwe Rijn 94, 2312 JM Leiden.

🥰💋😍❤️🌹

I remember the beautiful party last year in Liv Yoga with on your birthday cake the bw photograph I made in 1994 when we met for the first time. Thanks for being there for me in good (and so much less bad times) for nearly thirty years. You deserve the best! I LOVE YOU 🥰.

In 2010 I made a photo book about the Greek island Crete: Paradise Lost. Only one copy. My friend photographer Rene Triebl and his wife Grethe Bjerring are having a good time nowadays on the island. That’s why I thought about my impressions made in the eighties. Here are some. Thx for watching and I appreciate any comment!

Zaterdag en zondag Kunstroute Leiden 2023. Molly en ik gaan er voor om de EAE STUDIO opnieuw in te richten. Hier vast een voorproefje! Come and see for yourself!

Molly doet met 3 ‘Circle of Love’s’ mee, in het kader van KUNST in de ETALAGE, in de etalage van De Wijnkelder op Princessekade 5 te Leiden. Kijk op lieverinleiden.nl/etalagekunst voor alle locaties en verhalen. De kunst is ook te koop.

Ik doe met 4 foto’s mee, in het kader van KUNST in de ETALAGE, in de etalage van modewinkel ESPRIT op Haarlemmerstraat 49 te Leiden. Kijk op lieverinleiden.nl/etalagekunst voor alle locaties en verhalen. De kunst is ook te koop.

A beautiful day to buy ART in the EAE STUDIO, Nieuwe Rijn 94, 2312 JM Leiden, the Netherlands.

I'm here today until 6 p.m. or call 0655 three-nul-four-nul-five-nul for an appointment.

The almost entire team is ready for you.

Een mooie dag om KUNST te kopen in de EAE STUDIO, Nieuwe Rijn 94, 2312 JM Leiden.

Ik ben er vandaag tot 18:00 of bel voor een afspraak 0655 drienul-viernul-vijfnul.

Het bijna voltallige team zit klaar voor U.

Vandaag ben ik bij de expositie ‘From the Ashes’ in de EAE STUDIO tot 17:00. Nieuwe Rijn 94, 2312 JM Leiden. We hebben ook kleine schilderijen van Molly Ackerman in het formaat 30 x 30 cm. Ze zijn € 300 per stuk. Een mooie prijs voor deze unica! De expositie blijft tot eind 2022. Openingstijden: za/zo 14:00 - 17:00 en op afspraak 24/7.

De hele dag door komen de bezoekers om mee te doen met kalligrafie bij Molly.
Nog tot 17:30, dan gaan we afbouwen. Vandaag drie keer zo druk als gisteren. Het is ook prachtig weer. Ook nog eens vier werken verkocht. De bezoekers zijn geroerd door het werk van Molly gemaakt met de overblijfselen van haar tot de grond afgebrande boerderij in Kaatsbaan/Saugerties bij Woodstock. Waarom zien we dit nu pas? Deze kunst is tijdloos! Hoorde ik een bezoeker zeggen. Nog tot 18:00 te bezichtigen en daarna nog tot einde 2022. Nieuwe Rijn 94, Leiden. Nummer 69 bij de KUNSTROUTE.

FROM THE ASHES
Vandaag de 2e dag van de KUNSTROUTE. We zijn er van 12:00-18:00. Op de map zijn we nummer 69. Gisteren was het al groots voor Molly Ackerman en mij. Leuke gesprekken, drie werken verkocht, enthousiaste deelnemers aan de kalligrafie, lekker buiten in de frisse lucht. We zijn benieuwd hoe leuk het vandaag wordt. Van harte welkom!!

KUNSTROUTE LEIDEN 2022
Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 September 2022 12:00 - 18:00

'FROM THE ASHES'
MOLLY ACKERMAN – painting and sculpture
FRED ROHDE - photography

EAE STUDIO
Nieuwe Rijn 94
2312 JM Leiden Holland
0646 0446 28 (Molly Ackerman)
0655 304050 (Fred Rohde)

Molly Ackerman, born in 1953, lives in Leiden since 2001. Thirty years ago Ackerman lived in the United States in a 250 year old Dutch farmhouse in Kaatsbaan, Saugerties, just ten miles from the world-famous cultural town of Woodstock. Living her life as an artist, with farm animals as her pets, politically active everything seemed like a dream until one day in a scorching fire in 1991, she lost all her possessions, including her birth certificate, over 200 paintings, her dog Max and her 600-pound pet pig Martin.

To quote the ‘Daily Freeman’: “Molly tried in vain to put out the flames. However in the Catskill Mountains, in the dead of winter, the roads are sheets of ice. It took over an hour for seventy firemen to arrive at the remote farm. They fought hard, but soon realized they did not have enough water in their trucks to stop the raging fire. All was lost.”

To cope with the tragedy Molly immediately started creating new paintings using remnants of the fire and transforming ash and soot into pigments. Thus came the paintings with titles such as, 'Sacred Wind', 'Phoenix Fire' and 'Untold Secrets'. In the painting ‘Untold Secrets’ one can see remnants of her diaries discovered from the ashes.

But this wasn't the first time Molly Ackerman was mentioned in the ‘Daily Freeman’. April 1989: "Ackerman's paintings are beautiful diagrams of her personal struggle, of her growth and of her hope. Her art, by no means is embellishment, it is an affirmation of herself, and while sometimes difficult, it is never dull. Belonging to a category rarely seen, Molly Ackerman's work is very good.”

April 1990: In another article in the ‘Daily Freeman’, accompanying a photo of Molly’s art: “The beautifully presented paintings continue to display her inner vision, overwhelming and disturbing. The titles suggest endless distances. The viewer is free to follow their own thoughts as they travel through the maze of the soul.”

April 1990: The ‘Woodstock Times’ reviewed the paintings of Molly Ackerman under the headline “GOOD GOLLY, MISS MOLLY!”: “Ackerman's abstractions are symphonies of texture as if containing an infectious sense of freedom. The process remains as mysterious as the work itself. As a child Ackerman won a painting competition in New York City that all children from primary schools could participate in. Already at the age of twelve she entered the renowned art school the ‘Art Students League’ where she received scholarships and professional encouragement. Ten years later, the abstract expressionist Richard Pousette-Dart asked her to be his in-studio assistant. He taught her to let go and not to think when she paints, allowing the creativity to flow. The famous painter Larry Rivers also allowed her to use his studio on Canal Street.”

Molly Ackerman's career looked so promising. But the happiness did not last long. The fire put an end to all previously published works of art that had been lauded by the newspapers. But she didn't give up.

Three months after the fire, another article in the ‘Woodstock Times’ reported that Molly Ackerman is exhibiting thirty new paintings at the Park West Gallery in Kingston, incorporating remnants of the fire, including portions of her diary. The paintings consist of two layers of canvas, the front one being broken through, symbolizing the breaking through of the pain of losing her farm. Her life now, moving from place to place, is very, very difficult. The diaries that she kept to herself, and hid whenever she left the farm, she uses in her work. She now has an open life, visible to everyone.”

In 1992 the art magazine 'Art Beat' wrote: “Although her works are strongly expressionistic, her technique has nothing to do with that school.

Ackerman doesn't think her technique is an emotional outburst, she wants to reach for things she can't touch or imagine. Her work has to do with the environment, the ozone layer and our planet in a 'spiritual form'. She prefers to use rice paper as the basis for her work, a thin membrane that protects underlying images.

Fragmented crystals and marble dust are reunited in the energy of art. The texture is essential: it is synonymous with the character and experience of life. Softness is also essential, life needs softness. Her life and her art are the same.”

To conclude the introduction of 'From The Ashes' KUNSTROUTE 2022, let’s refer to another article written in ‘The Herald' published in upstate New York.

November 1992: “When you look at Molly Ackerman's raw, sacred works, you think repeatedly of catastrophe. In the recurring images of destruction, we discover that her house, her dog and all her possessions and works of art were destroyed by a fire last year. Using fragments of the fire in some pieces - burnt diary pages, a cup, some scraps of wallpaper - Ackerman makes these works even more personal, even more devastating. But in all good art, the pieces transcend the purely personal, beyond the emotional intensity to something deeper.

Ackerman's paintings are sad, almost overwhelming at times, but in the ashes is work and, of course, hope. Their grief is not despair, but determination. Her fear screams at us, her pain preoccupies us, and her work ultimately enriches us. Her goal is not only to expand the world of the artist, but also of those who see the works of art.”

Two years later in 1994 Molly Ackerman met her husband, the Leiden photographer, Fred Rohde. During the KUNSTROUTE 2022 weekend they exhibit expansionist paintings, sculptures and photography in the EAE STUDIO, Nieuwe Rijn 94, Leiden. This exhibition will continue until the end of the year.

P.S.
If it is not possible for you to visit the EAE STUDIO during the Art Route, you are always welcome to make an appointment. In addition to the art that we show during the Art Route, we have a large number of paintings, sculptures and photos in stock in various price ranges.

And not to forget a choice of unique photos made by Fred Rohde of Johan Cruijff (and Ajax) training on the beach at Wassenaar on October 1, 1987.

From 2015 to 2020 Fred Rohde photographed the annual Srebrenica Commemoration on the 11th of July in The Hague. Fred Rohde and Caspar ten Dam published the photo book 'Srebrenica Commemoration 2015 - 2020', revised edition. A limited number of copies are still available for 15 euros each.

EAE STUDIO
Molly Ackerman & Fred Rohde
Nieuwe Rijn 94
2312 JM Leiden Holland
www.eaestudio.nl
0655 304050 (Fred)
0646 0446 28 (Molly)
[email protected]
[email protected]

eaestudio.nl

I just read some newspaper articles about the art of Molly Ackerman. Impressive!

DAILY FREEMAN, Kingston NY, April 28, 1989: Ackerman’s paintings are direct connections to her inner self. They are marvellous diagrams of her private struggle, of her growth and of her hope. Her art, by no means decoration, is affirmation of herself, and while sometimes difficult, is never dull. Belonging in a category one seldom sees, the work of Molly Ackerman is very good.

WOODSTOCK TIMES, February 22, 1990:
Molly Ackerman’s three large pieces, abstracts of scenes at the farm, are among the best works in the show.

DAILY FREEMAN, Februari 1990:
Ackerman’s beautifully presented paintings continue to communicate her inner vision and are overwhelming moving and disturbing.

WOODSTOCK TIMES, April 26, 1990:
Ackerman’s abstractions are symphonies of texture. A contagious sens of freedom unlocks complexities in the viewer’s mind. The process remains as mysterious as the work itself. While still a child, fortune took her to the city, where, in fifth grade she won a citywide painting contest. At 13, she was attending the Art Students League and receiving much professional encouragement. Ten years later abstract expressionist Richard Pousette-Dart liked her work and asked her to be his in-studio assistent. She stayed with his family in Suffern for a year. “He taught me to let go, not to think when I paint.” Also Larry Rivers let her use his studio. “Very seldom do people get to know what’s in your soul. I have the ability to show it. I’m honored.”

ART BEAT, 1992
Though her works are strongly expressionistic, her technique has nothing to do with that school. ”I’m aiming at expanding from myth and history to reach to the cosmos or to the astral.” Ackerman prefers to think that her technique is not an emotional outburst, but rather she is treading through more intellectual pastures. “I am going out to reach out to things that I cannot touch or imagine, this all has to do in a spiritual form with the environment, the ozone, our planet.” The artist explains that she prefers to use rice paper as a base for her work. She compares it to a thin membrame that protects underlying images. On the other hand the fragmented crystals and marble dust entail centuries of pressure, broken, scattered and reunited in the energy of art. The texture is essential. “It is synonymous with the character and experience of life. Also softness is essential, life needs gentleness. And my life and my art are the same.”

HERALD, November 12, 1992: Viewing Molly Ackerman’s raw, scarred works, one think repeatedly of catastrophe. In the recurrent images of destruction we discover that her home, her dog and all her possessions and artwork were destroyed in a fire last year. Using fragments from the fire in some of the pieces - burnt diary pages, a cup, some bits of wallpaper - Ackerman makes these works even more personal, even more devastating. But with all good art, the pieces transcend the merely personal, going beyond the emotional intensity to something more profound. Ackerman’s paintings are sad, at times almost overpoweringly so, but in the ashes is work and, of course, hope. Their sadness is not despair, bur resolve. Her angst screams to us, her pain involves us, and her work, in the end, enriches us. Her goal is to expand not only the artist, but those who see it. It would be difficult to see this work and not be “expanded.”

Two years later, 1994, I did meet Molly in my hometown Leiden, Holland. The rest is history. We are together ever since. I’m very proud she enriched my life. Thanks Molly!

Fred Rohde, July 23, 2022.

Voor het onvolprezen Leids muziektijdschrift 33 1/3-45 hebben we Arno Hintjens bij hotel Americain in Amsterdam opgehaald en zijn naar Brussel gereden. Frits Bruins interviewde hem van achter het stuur en ik maakte bij aankomst wat portretfoto’s voor het blad. Dat waren nog eens tijden. Hieronder een portret uit 1986. Kodak Tri-X film in D76 ontwikkeld.

Come see the Gallery @ 94 Nieuwe Rijn 2312 TV Leiden we are bursting with color