ABOUT

Peter Korver | Amsterdam

Growing up in the natural surroundings of Holland's north-western coastal region, Peter Korver wanted to become a Biologist since the age of four. After a few Amsterdam university years however he decided to switch to History, combining this study with an education in the Arts. Today it seems all of this, together with over a decade of experience in interior design, has added up to a very personal specialty.
In recent years he has installed a new painted ceiling in the former British consulate of Amsterdam, one of Holland’s finest and best preserved 18th century interior monuments. Although his painting reintroduced the original 1731 love and goodbye scene of Dido and Aeneas that had been missing for over 120 years, its return seems to be temporary; the more than twenty painted birds Korver has added to the original scene are already taking it apart again by pulling threads and twines from the drawing, apparently for the use of nesting materials.

In a country estate elsewhere an eighteenth c. period room was embellished with spiraling ornamental leaves between the beams of its ceiling, populated with Garden snails, while yet another ceiling featured thousands of single handedly painted wheat ears, couples of copulating butterflies and the prickly leaves of blue thistles. In an 18th c. apartment on the Amsterdam canals, a meandering Boa constrictor was painted on the walls of the entrance, measuring up to seven meters and part of a painted menagerie that occupied all but every room of the stylish modernist interior.

Last year Korver realized one of his largest ceilings up till now; In the boardroom of a Cees Dam designed office in ‘het Gooi’, sixty square meters of coffered ceiling were painted, an open grid revealing a sky filled with butterflies, dragonflies and a flock of colorful but insectivorous birds.
Recently one of Korver’s latest projects was finished behind the impressive Louis XVI façade of Amstedam's Herengracht 40, .Having served as both residence of Napoleon’s gouverneur to the Netherlands and later head-office for the corporate exploitation of the Dutch colonies in Indonesia, this 1790's urban palazzo had an interesting history to say the least. Invited by its present owners, Korver’s paintings have changed the entrance into a gallery of aviaries with birds hanging around between historic memorabilia. Voluntarily, as it seems because the doors of their cages are wide open. What ensues is an encyclopedic collection depicting the splendor of the birds as well as the history of the house, but at the same time drawing an ambivalent image about the concept of freedom.

Peter Korver

Houses
". . I see the existing situation in a house as a point of reference. . my starting point, . not my limitation. . “

“. . I like working in houses. . . old houses too. . On a canvas anything is possible, but when working in a house there’s a formal and historical context . . .a problem. a question, the limitations of a given situation, the personal questions, affinities and expectations of clients .
I find that whole process very stimulating . "

In recent years I found that a growing number of my clients not only think of their house as a commodity. . a possession. as something to live in comfortably. . but also think of themselves as passersby in the history of the house. . a history to which they consciously and responsibly want to add something . . . . .
This makes the process even more interesting . . “

Time
". . Yes. .My works often take up quite a while to produce . . .

But, as someone once said . “The intensity of the process of making something, makes up for a large part the presence and expression of the finished work. . . . . . I think that is quite true. . . "

Work

" . . When I was seven years old I was given an exercise book during religion class at school. On one of the pages was a picture of Jesus in which we were to add drawings of "friends that were listening". After I had worked studiously the entire morning, I proudly presented my teacher with the finished result. She was surprised when she saw I had filled the entire page with pheasants, zebra's, a goat, a whale, a shark, crows, caterpillars, butterflies, frogs and mosquitoes.
Probably I still do the same to this very day. . .”

Style

" . . I do not use just one style in painting. The style often seems to adjust itself a little to the project.
People do recognize my work however. . . .they say it has quite an intense personal touch and approach.
. . . and it’s almost always about animals of course, . . "

Computer

". . Since a couple of years I often use the computer. Adjusting grand scale compositions in the computer beforehand, saves a lot of time during the preliminary process and enables me to make quick changes in the approach of the design.
It's just a technical design tool however, without a soul or a character.
Ultimately all the things I do should be intensely handmade in the first place. That's where the life comes into the work.. . Depth . . layers, feeling, energy. . . "

Surprise
". . I often use unexpected animals but I'm not interested in shock …There has to be an itch though. .
That itch . .or a little confusing surprise at first sight . . . will probably leave you with a more interesting work in the long run. .
If it's too comfortably recognized at first glance it will often turn out to be a bit boring in the end . Fortunately most of my clients have come to that same conclusion. ."

Magic

". . .As a child I used to breed caterpillars. Our aviary would be a hotel for two enamored butterflies whom we allowed an overnight stay only. . When their eggs had hatched, I supplied them with as much twigs and leaves the aviary would allow. One morning the caterpillars had all disappeared beneath the sand. A few uneventful months passed quietly, until I walked outside one early summer evening and discovered our garden to be in full bloom with giant pink moths…"

Studio

“. . A lot of my works are done in the studio, not on site. . . It can be done on site too of course but It’s much more convenient for both us and the client not having me, or a whole team of painters, all over the house for weeks or longer.
And . . there is this final moment of installment. . That moment when a painting slides into the ceiling frame or is attached to the wall. . . the moment when you immediately feel the whole space come together. . make a click. . I really like that. . “
That’s also why I often do a fair share of research into the house and its history, I don’t know how but at some level this too slips into the process of painting. . .I’m convinced that it enables a painting to blend in better into houses atmosphere. .”

Decorative

". I’m not so much interested in the difference between autonomous and decorative art. . I think the way most people deal with art is essentially decorative in the first place. . However; the moment you stop and focus on what you're actually looking at . . then something really interesting has to happen. . time and again . . . "
"Often people expect of a mural or a painted ceiling to be just that ; something that in the first place is telling you it is a mural or a painted ceiling. In this way a lot of bad copies of old masterpieces and predictable Trompe-l'oeil's are being made. .
I like to persuade my clients to be a little more adventurous... to end up with a work that actually says something for itself. . something more "

Some projects

"Bizzilla 'ta Malta" - Six new wall sized painted panels and a 70 M2 painted ceiling for the restored 'Grand Salon' of San Anton Palace - Malta's 17th c. Presidential Residence. Malta

"Other ones Feathers" – New hexagonal painted ceiling for a surviving Louis XVI Tea-pavilion, once part of the menagerie of a now demolished 17th c. country estate. – Driemond Abcoude | NL 2018

“A Modernist Menagerie” wallpaintings for a monumental 18th. century apartment - Tina and Dr. Peter Harf | Amsterdam

”Migratory birds in a rococo room“ new painted ceiling for a 1731 period-room with nine surviving Antonie Elliger paintings in the former British Consulate | Amsterdam 2008

“Histoire Naturelle” three paintings for the Entrance hall of an 18th c. Directoire-style canalhouse, once the residence of Napoleons 'Gouverneur' to the Netherlands | Amsterdam

"Aerial insectivores" - Large scale - 65 M² - painted ceiling for Cees Dam Architects and Verwelius Bouwmij. | Huizen (NH)

“Gardensnails” - Painted ceiling for a room in a 17th Century mansion | Abcoude 2008

Shop-interior design & Interior decoration for ‘Ethnic Chic” Home Couture | Amsterdam 2006

Australia - the Netherlands 1606 – 2006 design for a commemorative 5 Euro coin | Ministry of Finance - the Hague

"Histoire Naturelle IV & V" - two paintings for the entrance of an 18th century urban palazzo on the Amsterdam canals, former headoffice of the "Nederlandsche Handel Maatschappij" A company, founded by the King in the early 1820's, in an attempt to revive the Dutch East India Company, that was to evolve into today's ABN AMRO. | Amsterdam 2012

Interior design & Interior decoration of ‘Pasta e Basta’ restaurant | Amsterdam

“Wheat” Painted ceiling for an architect’s office – Amsterdam

"Waterland Swans" - design for a monumental sculpture on a roundabout - A10 peripheral highway | Amsterdam

Interior design & Interior decoration of ‘Pasta e Basta’ restaurant | Rotterdam

“Milk & Honey” - Painted ceilings for the entrance hall and kitchen of a 17th c. farmhouse | Abcoude 2005

"Amazon branches" - Second in a series of three painted rooms in a private residence | Amsterdam

Interior design & Interior decoration of “Club Sinners in Heaven” | Amsterdam

"Horses" - Third in a series of three painted rooms in a private residence | Amsterdam

“Cacatua Moluccensis – Ara Macao – Amazona Amazonica – Ara Militaris” – Paintings for the entrance hall of a 17th c. canalhouse - Keizersgracht Amsterdam

”Terra Incognita” - Two new painted ceilings for an 18th Century monument | Amsterdam

Interior decorations of a private residence | Miami Fl, USA

"The Red Sea" - Marine fossils in a marbeled wall - Penthouse Suite | Amstelveen

"A Sleeping Beauty" - New paintings, and restorations on a series of wallpanels in the entrance of a 19th c. mansion | Driemond

"Le Trompe-L'oeil" - New painted ceiling for a late 19th c. Arts & Crafts style villa | Abcoude 2012

"NaCl" - 12 Mtrs off sandblasted Glass wall for a fashion department Store .

"Leaves of Grass" - Painted Ceiling for a private residence | Bergen NH 2012 / 13

"Taxidermia" - Design for a Butterflies and Moth decorated wallpaper | 2013

"Le Côte d'Or" - Goldleaved mural with peacocks and magpies
v.i.p lounge, Club "Abe" - Amsterdam - 2013

"L'Age d'Or" - Goldleaved mural with four large scale magpies,
- Club "Abe" - Amsterdam - 2013

Website: www.peterkorver.com

Peter Korver | Amsterdam

For local & international enquiries please contact us at: peterkorver.nl
+31(0)655712412

Some Publications

PRIVÉPARADIJZEN
de schilderingen van Peter Korver en de erfenis van de achttiende eeuw
Henk J v.d. Heuvel
Woest en Vredig 3 april 2013
http://dekluizenaar.mimesis.nl

UN SEGNO MAGICO
FRA NATURA E FAVOLA.
Nei suoi "bestiari parietali", l'artista Olandese Peter Korver
intreccia la storia naturale al fantastico e all'arte
Ville & Casali - Agosto 2013 - pag. 66 / 69
Antonella Padularosa
Foto di Eddy Wenting

SPANNENDE MUREN
Muurschilderingen van Peter Korver, Gijs Frieling, Hugo Kaagman en Jan van der Ploeg
Het Financieele Dagblad
Magazine | FD Persoonlijk - 22 09 2012
Tekst; Jacqueline Bosboom
Foto’s; Georges Hoeberechts, Paulina Matusiak, Eddy Wenting e.a.

ABE - Club & Lounge
A historic Amsterdam bank has become a high-end new club,
thanks to a collaboration between designer Charlotte Emmerig and artist Peter Korver.
FRAME Magazine
Night Fever IV - September 2014
Photo's: Eddy Wenting

EKSTERS EN PAUWE
Peter Korver in Nightclub Abe.
Kester Freriks
'Vogels' - 28 december

HISTOIRE NATURELLE
Pipse Gang werd luisterrijke volière
Peter Korver beschilderde de entree van Herengracht 40
Het Parool
Za. 26-05-2012
Tekst; Corrie Verkerk
Foto; Jean-Pierre Jans

ABE
VENUEZ magazine
Nov-dec 2013
Tekst: Paula Plantinga
Fotografie: Jim Ellam

HERENGRACHT 40
Amsterdam omsingeld 511
16 mei 2012
Tekst; Hans Tulleners
Foto; Eddy Wenting

ELEGANZA OLANDESE
IL LATO GLAM DEL COUNTRY
di Antonella Padularosa - foto di Louis Lemaire
Abitare Italia - luglio 2012 - p 18 / 37

PEARL OF EARTH
Vakwerkboerderij
Seasons magazine
Juli/aug 2011 - pag 72/79
Tekst / productie; Wilma Custers
Fotografie; Louis Lemaire

RESIDENCE LeBRUN
Nieuwe schilderingen van Peter Korver voor Herengracht 40
Historisch Tijdschrift - Napoleon in Nederland
Januari 2011 - pag 54 & 55
Tekst; Anja Krabben
Foto’s Eddy Wenting

ETHNIC CHIC
Residence
Nov 2010 - pag. 86 t/m 93
Tekst / productie; Wilma Custers
Fotografie; Louis Lemaire

GETEKEND, PETER KORVER
gesprek met Albert de Lange
Het Parool
PS weekend - 30 mei 2009 - Pag. 8 / 13
tekst Albert de Lange
foto's Marc Driessen

HET MOEST GEWOON…..
Graanplafond van Peter Korver
de Volkskrant
Bijlage Kunst & Boeken - 10 juli 2009 - Pag 30 / 31
Tekst; Christjan Knijff
Foto’s; Joost van den Broek

NAAR VERMEER
Elle Wonen
November 2003 - p. /
Tekst / productie; Theone van der Eerden
Foto’s Arjan Benning

HOGE RUIMTES
EN PRACHTIGE PLAFONDSCHILDERINGEN…..
Keizersgracht 442
De Keizersgrachtgids
Rianne Kofman /Jolien Langejan - 2013
Foto;Arjan Benning

TWEE NIEUWE RESTAURANTS IN AMSTERDAM
Pasta e Basta en Le Zinc et les dames
Eigen Huis & Interieur
September 1995 - p.80 / 86
Tekst / productie;Jeen Boetzel
Foto’s Edwin Walvisch

CROWDED HOUSE
Scanorama S.A.S Inflight magazine
november 1997 p.88/90
tekst; Petra Glimåker
translation; Richard Nord
Foto's; Anne Söderberg

EEN HUIS MET EEN HART ...
Nouveau
Nov. 1997 - p. 38/42
tekst; Marjolein Rooseboom
Foto's; Louis Lemaire

Peter Korver | Amsterdam
For local & international enquiries please contact us at: peterkorver.nl
+31(0)655712412

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dinsdag 5 november 2013

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