Joop Sanders

Joop Sanders (October 6, 1921 – July 6, 2023) was a Dutch-American painter, educator, and founding member of the American Abstract Expressionist group. He was the youngest member of the first generation of the New York School.

Sanders' work is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, and Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Early life and education Sanders was born on October 6, 1921, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and emigrated to the United States in 1939. He studied in 1940 at the Art Students League of New York, in New York City, for six months with artist George Grosz.

In 1940 Sanders met Elaine de Kooning and Willem de Kooning at a concert featuring the music of Virgil Thomson, Aaron Copland and William Schuman. By the mid-1940s, Elaine de Kooning had painted approximately a dozen portraits of Sanders, which seem to express loneliness and androgyny. Sanders spoke at Elaine de Kooning's memorial service.

Work Sanders was one of twenty original members and a charter member of The Club, which was located at 39 East 8th Street. Sanders married Isca Jörgensen at The Club on December 27, 1950. Until his death, he was the only surviving artist to have exhibited at the historic 9th Street Show of 1951.

In the mid-1950's Sanders left New York for Europe. This move—just at the time abstract expressionism was being accepted in America—resulted, however, in his being overlooked as one of the first younger artists to contribute to the style in New York. Sanders established a considerable European reputation and exhibited extensively in Europe. In addition, his inclusion in exhibitions with the Zero Group, curated by Enrico Castellani and Piero Manzoni connected his work with many of the leading Italian artists of the period, including Manzoni.

Sanders returned to New York in 1959, where his work became almost monochromatic and fieldlike. It never was impersonal; he always retained an emotional content.

In 1960 he was the first young American painter to be given a one-man show at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, which played a crucial role in introducing advanced American art to Europe.

During the late 1960s, Sanders created sectional paintings which would be arranged in a variety of configurations by the owner or even construed as three-dimensional sculpture.

Horizon Magazine's art critic, Hiram Butler, described Sanders' painting "Pantagruel, 1955" as roughly painted and reflects abstract-expressionist Angst at its fullest. Yet, like its namesake from Rabelais' work, it is also good-humored. American commercial colors elevate the pitch and serve to delight. Along with the serious express there is a capricious and fanciful, almost mocking stroke.

Personal life Sanders was married for 68 years to the lieder singer Isca Sanders-Jörgensen (1925–2019). His son is the sculptor, John Sanders and his daughter is the attorney, Karin Greenfield-Sanders. His son-in-law is the photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and his grandchildren include artist Isca Greenfield-Sanders and filmmaker Liliana Greenfield-Sanders.

Sanders died at his home in Putnam County, New York, on July 6, 2023, at the age of 101.

Exhibitions 9th Street Art Exhibition, 60 East 9th Street, 1951 "Joop Sanders" 1959 Stedelijk Museum "Joop Sanders" 1965 Bertha Schaefer Gallery Abstractions, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City, 1988/89 Sanders and Greenfield-Sanders, Snitzer Gallery, Miami, FL, 2003 Elaine de Kooning Portrayed, Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center, East Hampton, New York, 2015 Elaine de Kooning: Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C., 2015/16 Galerie Biedermann, 2021/22

Collections Sanders' work is held in the following permanent collections: Museum of Modern Art, New York: 1 work (as of 16 November 2022) Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison, Wisconsin Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA