Early Life and Artistic Training
Hubert Bekman was born on November 4, 1896, in Voorburg, Netherlands. While his later years would be defined by his creative output, his early life was shaped by the steady rhythm of a working man. He spent his days working as a civil servant at the PTT, a role that provided his daily bread while his artistic interests grew in the quiet hours around his professional duties.
His path as an artist was not one of formal, continuous schooling. Instead, Hubert Bekman was primarily self-taught, developing his eye and hand through personal practice and a deep-seated curiosity. He sought out supplemental instruction to refine his skills, attending evening training and winter courses at the Akademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Den Haag. These sessions allowed him to balance his responsibilities at the PTT with his growing need to create.
Beyond the classroom, he sought the company of others who shared his passion. He attended the Hague Sketch Club, finding a place among those who viewed art as a vital part of life. This combination of independent study and community engagement allowed him to build a foundation for his diverse career as a painter, sculptor, and graphic artist.
Artistic Movements and Professional Circles
Bekman’s life was deeply connected to the artistic communities of the Netherlands. He was a member of the Pulchri Studio and the Haagse Kunstkring, finding his place among the creative circles of The Hague. His social and professional life was shaped by these associations, which allowed him to engage with the evolving landscape of Dutch art during his lifetime.
Around 1936, he became a founding member of the artist group De Groep. He worked alongside Rein Draijer, Hein von Essen, Jan Franken Pzn., Jan van Heel, and Marinus Schipper to establish this collective. His involvement in these groups reflected a desire to collaborate and share ideas with his peers. Later in his career, he joined Verve and the Liga Nieuw Beelden, continuing to seek out new ways to connect with the art world. In the fifties, he was also part of the Voorburg artistic working group known as De Nieuwe Ploeg.
Techniques and Artistic Disciplines
Hubert Bekman’s creative output was defined by a restless curiosity across many different mediums. In his earlier years, he focused heavily on the tactile nature of printmaking and painting. He worked with oil paints, gouaches, and drawings, often centering his compositions on the forms of people and animals. His interest in graphic arts led him to master various methods of transferring images, including etching, lithography, and woodcuts. He also spent time working with linocuts and wood engraving, finding ways to express shape and line through these more structured processes.
As his career progressed, his relationship with physical material shifted toward the three-dimensional. From 1948, he turned his attention to sculpture, moving away from the flat surface to work with wood. He chose oak and linden wood for these figures, carving human and animal forms that brought a sense of weight and presence to his subjects. This transition from the graphic and painted word to the carved figure allowed him to explore the textures of the grain alongside the anatomy of his subjects.
- "Moeder en kind" (linoleumsnede)
- "Zes figuren" (houtsnede)
- "Vijf paarden" (linoleumsnede)
- "Vier paarden" (linoleumsnede)
Where to See His Works Today
Finding the traces of Hubert Bekman's creative life requires a bit of travel through the Netherlands, as his various expressions as a painter, sculptor, and graphic artist are spread across several important institutions. In The Hague, his presence is felt in the Gemeentemuseum, where his works are held alongside other significant pieces of Dutch art. The city also houses his art within the Dutch Postal Museum, a nod to his professional life working for the PTT.
Beyond the capital of South Holland, his pieces have found homes in other regional collections. The Van Abbe Museum in Eindhoven maintains works by Bekman, ensuring his visual language reaches audiences outside of his immediate surroundings. His art is also part of the National Collection, a testament to the lasting presence of his woodcuts, paintings, and sculptures in the country's cultural landscape.
For those interested in his more localized impact, the Gemeentemuseum Maassluis also holds his work. Whether through his carved wooden figures or his graphic prints, his hand remains visible in these various repositories, preserved for those who wish to study his contribution to the New Hague School and the many groups he helped form.
