“ There is a freedom for me when I paint, a place to express whats inside - love, emotions, color, words and ideas of space. There is an energy and a narrative that lies beneath the surface of the work.”
Following her Sotheby’s show entitled, Relevant, UNDONE was the artist’s second New York City show. Aptly titled, UNDONE explores what is underneath and inside us all where there is no pretense. The work exemplifies how de Klaver considers words, thoughts, emotive texture in its raw and meditative state. Through a hybrid form of abstract expressionism, de Klaver paints on canvas with a gradation of blacks, blues, and white inspired by the neutral palette and texture of Robert Ryman and freely-scribbled liberation of Cy Twombly. Recently de Klaver has expanded her color palette and explored new techniques, including painting with elements from nature.
Living in Belgium as a youth, de Klaver’s appreciation for the arts began early. As the daughter of a painter, she traveled extensively throughout Europe, learning to appreciate the great masters in Paris, Rome, Florence, Barcelona and the Netherlands. It wasn’t until her first visit to the Centre Pompidou in Paris that her interest in the abstract was ignited and left an indelible imprint on her. She has described painting as a form of meditation and inner storytelling. This process is self-evident in both expressive movement and calligraphic forms within her work.
de Klaver’s path to contemporary art is not a traditional one. Over two decades, she has built a formidable reputation in understanding color, space and the connectivity of design leading creative teams for consumer companies including Target, west elm and Indigo.
Currently Jennifer paints in both New York and Southampton.