Herman Brood

Herman Brood was born on November 5, 1946 in Zwolle.

Regularly when people were looking for him, he sat in a small room above the warehouse of his father's machine factory, drawing. From an early age, his parents are told that he is color blind and will probably never become a visual artist. Herman, as he is, didn't care about that. At that time, he drew everywhere, on the train, bus or cafe. At any time of the day, when he has time for it, Herman drew.

At the age of seventeen he left for the Academy of Fine Arts in Arnhem. And he also starts painting. Brood is inspired by the Cobra painters, especially Lucebert. These painters have a spontaneous, experimental and exuberant working method. Yet Brood soon developed his own style, which is immediately recognizable.

At the end of the eighties Herman is increasingly appreciated as a draftsman and poet, but above all as a painter. Typical are the use (by his color blindness, born out of necessity) of bright primary colors such as red, blue and yellow, whereby he applied letters to his work with black paint. The signature “bread” is often prominent in his paintings. While painting Herman uses various techniques.

He quickly gets to work with spray cans, hypodermic needles, felt-tip pens, paint rollers, but also regular paint and brushes. His work is fast and powerful. Details are superfluous: with just a few accurate lines he sets eyes, nose and mouth and thus creates a striking character.

During Herman's life, his art was a major source of income. He often used it as a means of payment. For example, even the tax authorities once accepted them as payment for its tax debts.

After years of using drugs, Herman's body was completely exhausted by 2001. When it seemed as if he didn't have long to live, Brood took matters into his own hands and committed suicide. On July 11, 2001 he jumped from the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel. He left a farewell note at the bar with, among other things, the text "make it a big party"

Herman is seen as one of the most prominent painters of modern dutch history.