LOT 64
WILLEM VAN DER DOES
(B. Neteherlands, 1889 – 1966)
Sawah di Kaki Gunung Arjuna, Undated
Signed “W. v. d. Does” on lower left
Oil on canvas
65 x 90 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
Sotheby’s Singapore auction label affixed to frame
AVAILABLE – RM 9,000 – RM 15,000
Born in 1889, he is known until this day for his Asian subject oil paintings and his works have a record of being sold at auction houses for the past 20 years. He authored and illustrated a book entitled “Storms, Ice and Whales: The Antartic Adventures of a Dutch Artist on a Norwegian Whaler”. The synopsis is as follows: At once adventure story and natural history, van der Does’s tale is alive with the sights, sounds, and smells of his exploits, as well as the powerful range of emotions he experienced during this epic trip. The first Dutchman ever to set foot in Antarctica, van der Does grippingly captures all the excitement, fascination, and fear generated by life in the coldest place on earth.
First published in the Dutch East Indies in 1934 and later in the Netherlands, this historical gem is now available in English for the very first time. The book has been expertly translated by Ruth van Baak Griffioen, who also contributes a new preface with personal anecdotes about van der Does’s life and the history of his book. Storms, Ice, and Whales is an entertaining, vividly realistic memoir and visual journal of whaling life that will appeal to a wide range of readers.