Cornelis Zitman

CORNELIS ZITMAN (Leiden, Netherlands, 1926–Caracas, Venezuela, 2016).
“Torso,” 1963.
Bronze and marble base.
Accompanied by a certificate issued by the artist and a book featuring a reproduction of the work on p. 102.
Signed.
Measurements: 30 x 17 x 12 cm (total).
This sculpture is an interesting example of Cornelis Zitman’s exploration of the human figure and its expressive possibilities. Created in 1963, it belongs to an early phase of his sculptural production, when the artist, based in Venezuela, was beginning to develop a personal style that combined the European figurative tradition with a sensibility deeply rooted in his American surroundings.
In *Torso*, Zitman omits the limbs and head to focus all attention on the body as an autonomous volume. Anatomy is interpreted with deliberate freedom: the pronounced curvature of the hip, the displacement of volumes, and the twisting of the torso generate a helical movement reminiscent of the contrapposto of classical sculpture, albeit reinterpreted from a modern and synthetic perspective. The body ceases to be a strict anatomical representation and becomes a structure of rhythms, tensions, and balances. The date of creation is particularly significant. By 1963, Zitman had definitively shifted his career toward sculpture, following his earlier experiences in design, painting, and drawing. His stay on the island of Granada and his subsequent settlement near Caracas marked a decisive transformation in his work, bringing him closer to a more organic and personal interpretation of the human figure.
Cornelis Zitman was a Dutch sculptor who became a naturalized Venezuelan citizen; he trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague. In 1947, he moved to Venezuela, where he spent much of his career and found the primary cultural and human context for his work.Beginning in the 1960s, he devoted himself primarily to sculpture, focusing his work on the female figure. His women, with their voluminous and stylized forms, combine sensuality, expressiveness, and a strong sculptural presence, becoming the defining hallmark of his artistic language. His international recognition was cemented following his exhibition at the Galerie Dina Vierny in Paris in 1971 and his First Prize at the Budapest Sculpture Biennial that same year. He subsequently exhibited in cities such as Paris, New York, Amsterdam, Tokyo, and Caracas, and participated in the São Paulo Biennial. His work is included in major collections such as those of the National Art Gallery in Caracas, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas, the Musée Maillol in Paris, and MoMA in New York. Zitman is considered a key figure in 20th-century Venezuelan sculpture and one of the artists who best knew how to fuse his European tradition with Latin American culture and imagination.