Haarlem
Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...
(1983-1985). After winning the Royal Award in Painting in 1986 he worked in Barcelona for a year. In 2011 he undertook a residency at the Josef Albers Foundation in Bethany, Connecticut and in 2017 at the Van Doesburghuis in Meudon, Paris.
Aalders lives and works in Amsterdam.
Exhibitions
Aalders had his first gallery solo show at Jurka Gallery in Amsterdam in 1987, and has exhibited regularly since then, particularly at the Slewe Gallery in Amsterdam. In 2002 he had his first single artist exhibition at a museum, entitled ''Vertical Thoughts'' at the Stedelijk Museum voor Aktuele Kunst in Ghent, Belgium. In 2010 followed his exhibition ''Cardinal Points'' at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag (formerly known as the Gemeentemuseum, The Hague). Parallel to this exhibition he published his book ''Cardinal Points'', which presented an overview of more than fifteen years of work, with essays by Rudi Fuchs, Thomas Lange and Aalders himself. In 2020 he made an installation at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, in which he referred to Van Gogh's painting Harvest. In 2021/2022, his exhibition 'Seasons' was on view at the Kröller-Müller Museum, on which occasion a catalogue is published in collaboration with
Hatje Cantz
Hatje Cantz Verlag (English: Hatje Cantz Publishing) is a German book publisher specialising in photography, art, architecture and design. It was established in 1945 by Gerd Hatjemodernism of
Mondrian
Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan (), after 1906 known as Piet Mondrian (, also , ; 7 March 1872 – 1 February 1944), was a Dutch painter and art theoretician who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He is known for being o ...
and the American Minimal Art. His work is an attempt to embody the essence, to create light and space through paint. Also to remap the tradition of history of art. Modernist serial principles such as repetition and uniformity are linked to age-old concepts of depicting time and place. His use of colour reflects various colour concepts from the past. In his paintings he expresses the rhythm of life. In addition to his painting practice he has also written various texts on art and artists for newspapers, magazines and catalogues.
Aalders is represented by Slewe Gallery, Amsterdam and Walter Storms Galerie in Munich.
Collections
His paintings have been collected internationally by both private and public collections, such as the
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (; Municipal Museum Amsterdam), colloquially known as the Stedelijk, is a museum for modern art, contemporary art, and design located in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Museum Voorlinden
Museum Voorlinden () is an art museum in Wassenaar in the Netherlands. It was founded and is privately owned by Joop van Caldenborgh. It was opened on 10 September 2016 by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands
Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Al ...
, Wassenaar, Museum Kurhaus Kleve, AkzoNobel Art Foundation, ABN AMRO Bank Art Collection, BPD Art Collection, Over Holland Art Collection, Thoma Art Collection, Chicago amongst others.
Publications (selection)
2021: Steven Aalders, Seasons, Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo / Hatje Cantz, Berlin (texts: Rudi Fuchs and Steven Aalders; design:
Irma Boom
Irma Boom (born 15 December 1960) is a Dutch graphic designer who specializes in bookmaking. Boom has been described as The Queen of Books, having created over 300 books and is well reputed for her artistic autonomy within her field. Her bold e ...
)
2017: Steven Aalders, The Fifth Line. Thoughts of a Painter, Koenig Books, London. (design: Irma Boom)
2010: Steven Aalders, Cardinal Points, Gemeentemuseum The Hague (texts: Benno Tempel, Rudi Fuchs, Thomas Lange and Steven Aalders; design: Irma Boom)
2009: Steven Aalders, Place (Black, Brown, Beige, Grey & Ash), Mondriaanhuis, Amersfoort, NL (design: Irma Boom)
2002: Steven Aalders, Vertical Thoughts, S.M.A.K., Ghent (texts: Jan Hoet, Pietje Tegenbosch; design: Irma Boom)
Commissions
Aalders did several commissions. In collaboration with Reiach and Hall Architects in Edinburgh he designed an art work 'Frieze' for the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service in Edinburgh and a design for the glass panels for the Nuclear Archive, Wick in Scotland in 2017. In collaboration with Group A, Rotterdam, Aalders made a design for the roof of the entrance parking lot Beatrixpark Beethovenstraat in 2016. In 2019 he made a pictorial installation at Huize Frankendael in Amsterdam.