Corneille, Guillaume

Corneille, whose birth name was Guillaume Cornelis van Beverloo, was born in Belgium to Dutch parents. He spent his artistic life as a painter and sculptor and poet. He studied art in the Netherlands before holding his first solo exhibition in Groningen as early as 1946. With artists such as Karel Appel, Constand Nieuwenhuys and other Neo-Expressionists, he founded the group CoBrA.
 

Corneille's pictorial worlds were characterized by an expressive and fast ductus, which, however, stood out from the style of the other CoBrA members by its subtlety. After CoBrA disbanded, he went on long journeys to distant continents, ultimately staying in Paris. This new phase in his life also changed his style, away from the wild painting of the CoBrA group to landscapes and cultures of the countries he traveled to, which characterized his motifs from then on. In his works, an elaborate and strong colorfulness is now juxtaposed with a simple composition. Clarity and tranquility are created by means of a reduced technique. Corneille completely dispensed with shadows and perspective in his paintings. Later, lyrical elements and frequently appearing symbols such as birds, women, palm trees and cats found their way into his works, which he now also executed as lithographs, etchings and ceramics.
 

With these impressive works, he enjoyed success at documenta II and III. Although much of his work is in private collections, many of his works are now owned by museums around the world, including the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the CoBrA Museum in Amstelveen.