Berrie Martens..........
Berrie Martens draws a colourful line across the globe.
What’s the secret of this bon vivant from a small Dutch town called Chaam? Berrie Martens keeps popping up in the most colourful places on earth, each time adding something extra with his works of art.With unbridled enthu- siasm, he records his perceptions in colour. His exuberant joie de vivre is evident! His motto: Carpe diem!
He made his appearance in a grand way in New York, Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris—each time followed by a crowd of art enthusiasts. Berrie not only paints and exhibits, he also throws a party each time for his art- loving supporters. Over the years this has developed into a biennial 4-day art trip.
1998 Martens goes New York!
Martens exhibits his paintings in surprising locations. in October 1998, in the presence of 105 fans flown in from the Netherlands and American art buyers, he celebrated his first ‘overseas’ exhibition at the Gershwin Gallery in central Manhattan.This was followed by an exhibition at the Em- pire State Building six months later. He was asked to make a 4-month tour across America where he exhibited his work in San Francisco and Miami.
2000 Martens goes Berlin!
After his success in America, Berrie and 140 of his followers, in November 2000, boarded a chartered train decorated with Happy People (happy abstract colourful figures) heading for Berlin where on November 9th he symbolically erected his own wall in front of Brandenburg gate. He exhibited his work at Exil Wohnmagzin and at the Alexanderplatz TV tower.Video documentaries have been made of his visits to NewYork and Berlin.The video documentary Martens goes NewYork! is also available as a book with the same title.
2000 Martens goes Amsterdam!
in January 2002 Martens had an exhibition at the Dante gal- lery.The collection of paintings exhibited here was created by Berrie
in the adjacent studio of the late Herman Brood,
a Dutch artist and rock singer. Martens was the first artist since Herman’s
death to be given permission to work in his studio.
2000 Martens goes Curaçao!
in May 2002, at the invitation of Aad Ouborg, president of the Netherlands- based company Princess Household Appliances, Berrie recorded the festive Miss Princess Election in the Netherlands Antil- les.The models from 10 different countries were immortalized on canvas as Happy Princesses.
2002 Martens goes Barcelona!
Barcelona had to be first! In October 2002 Martens not only exhi- bited his paintings, but also—for the very first time—his sculptures at the FAD (Fomento de las Artes Decorativas) located right across from the MACBA (Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona). Some of these sculptures were inspired by his illustrious predecessors gaudí, Dali, Miró and Picasso. During the Art Performance Day the 150 guests were dressed in red or yellow, the same colours as the now well-known Happy People umbrellas signed and decorated by Martens.These are also the colours of the Catalonian and Spanish national
2004 Martens goes Paris!
The fourth Art Performance trip was also Berrie’s 10th anniversary as a painter! This was celebrated at the MUMA (Museum Martens), a museum specifically created for this event.
Against the holy backdrop of the Sacré Coeur, 120 fans literally and figuratively gave their own interpretation to the artistic concept of Happy People in Paris: all participants were given a Create your own Happy People! Each painting depicted the contours of a Happy People outlined in black by Martens. Using red, yellow and blue paint, a paintbrush and an easel, each participant gave the canvas their own personal finishing touch. One hundred and twenty crea- tive Dutch people immortalised on the steps of the Sacré Coeur!
in Paris, Martens launched his Happy People of the World service, which was brought into the world in co-operation with Unicef. 2006 is de trip met 32 beelden van wk voetbal.en Unicef.
2006 Martens goes Holland With 32 sculptures WK football Germany
2010 WK football South Africa met Happy People van Oranje
2014 WK football Brasil and Expo @ Knokke Belgium
2018 Martens goes Ibiza
2019 Martens goes Londen
2020 Martens goes Bonaire Sculpture Happy People of Bonaire @ Ocean Oasis Bonaire
2021 Start MUMA Museum Martens
2022 Martens goes Venice...