Mysterious Universe – Eugène Brands / Gabriel Lester
A Cosmic Journey
Eugène Brands (1913-2002) was one of the most well known and beloved CoBrA artists in the Netherlands. A sense of cosmic wonder runs like a thread through his work. With Mysterious Universe - Eugène Brands / Gabriel Lester, the museum – home to a significant collection of Brands' work – presents the first museum-wide overview of his cosmic paintings, assemblages, and works on paper. Contemporary artist Gabriel Lester (b. 1972) shares Brands' fascination with the invisible and the unknown. Especially for this occasion, Lester has created an immersive setting that allows visitors to experience Brands' work like never before.
Mysterious Universe - Eugène Brands / Gabriel Lester bridges past and present, bringing together generations in a shared spiritual search for answers to life's great questions.
A Lifelong Fascination with the Cosmos
Eugène Brands, one of the great post-war painters of the Netherlands, held a lifelong fascination with the cosmos. At the age of eleven, he learned in school that Earth is a continuously moving sphere in an infinite universe. The dreamy, childlike wonder this evoked is reflected throughout all phases of his creative life – from his early CoBrA period to his final gouaches. For Brands, everything in the universe was interconnected.
The exhibition Mysterious Universe - Eugène Brands / Gabriel Lester spans his entire career: precise pencil drawings from the 1940s, painted assemblages from the 1950s and '60s, and monumental abstract cosmic landscapes from the 1970s and '80s. Together, they demonstrate his lifelong engagement with the infinite universe of which we, as humans, are just a tiny part. Highlights include works such as Falling Moon (1951) and The Painter and the Stars (1959), both part of the museum's own collection. A historically significant piece is Deep Universe - First Step on the Moon (1969), a nearly three-meter-wide canvas created after Brands watched the first moon landing live on television.
A Total Immersive Experience
Gabriel Lester – internationally renowned for his light art, spatial installations, films, and public space projects – shares Brands' curiosity about the cosmos. For Mysterious Universe, he has created an immersive exhibition experience where cosmic paintings, light projections, and spatial interventions merge into a vibrant journey through the universe: from the infinite black of space to a visual explosion of light. Through his cinematic use of space, light, and movement, Lester brings the dreamlike atmosphere of Brands' paintings to life like no other.
Masterpieces from Across the Country
Museum van Bommel van Dam has a special connection with Eugène Brands: his work was part of the original collection of founders Maarten and Reina van Bommel-van Dam. Today, the museum holds one of the most important collections of Brands' work in the Netherlands. This strong foundation forms the basis of the upcoming exhibition. Key works on loan from other institutions – including the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Museum Cobra, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and Museum Het Valkhof – as well as from private collections, complement the museum's holdings. The exhibition has also been created in close collaboration with Eugénie Brands, the artist's daughter, from whose family collection many works will be shown.
Spiritual Urgency
The exhibition responds to a contemporary need for spiritual meaning. While major corporations and wealthy individuals set their sights on colonizing space, many young adults are turning inward – seeking guidance through spirituality, astrology, and ancient philosophies. In a world growing ever more complex, we look to the cosmos for direction. This shared search for transcendence and understanding unites Eugène Brands and Gabriel Lester, despite the decades that separate them.
These themes are also reflected in the museum's wide-ranging public programme. Through lectures, workshops, and other in-depth activities, the relationship between humans and the cosmos is explored. The programme offers space for reflection, engaging with modern spiritual practices. It brings together different generations in a shared exploration of life's big questions and the universal desire for connection.
The exhibition is made possible with support from:
