ARTIST STATEMENT
Bert came to the US from The Netherlands at the end of 1982 and worked for many years as a NIH- and NSF-funded Research Professor at Northwestern University’s Department of Neurobiology (Evanston, IL). Next to his career in science he has always been very active in the arts, and his art has been affected by his research activities insofar as the often-tedious discipline needed in research is also used in his art; obtaining the final image is like a research goal.
As well as in private collections, Bert’s works are included in several public collections, e.g., Museum Rotterdam (The Netherlands), China Print Art Museum (Shenzhen, China), the Douro Museum Printmaking Collection (Peso da Régua, Portugal), the Elmhurst Art Museum, and the Illinois State Museum.
His works have won awards at several exhibitions, e.g., at the “Third Sapporo International Print Biennale” (1996, Sapporo, Japan), at “Imprima 2012, Mostra Internacional de Gravura” (2012, Sobral, Brazil), and at the “Boston Printmakers 2013 North American Print Biennial” (2013, Boston, MA).
ARTIST BIO
2008, -‘14, -‘15, -‘18 – Artist Residency: The Ragdale Foundation, Lake Forest, IL
2011, -‘14, -‘15 – Artist Residency: Guanlan Original Printmaking Base, Shenzhen, China
2012 – Third Prize: “Imprima 2012, Mostra Internacional de Gravura”, Sobral, Brazil
1996 – Sponsors’ Prize: 3rd Sapporo International Print Biennale, Sapporo, Japan
1995 – Award of Excellence: 12th North Shore Art League Midwest Print Show, Chicago, IL
SELECTED ONE-PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2022 – “Galleria Gelateria (Bert Menco)”, Frank & Lydia’s Italiaanse IJssalon, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2020-2022 – “Bert Menco-Grafiek”, ’t Zonnetje, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2018 – “Swansong at the League”, North Shore Art League”, Winnetka, IL
2010 – “Rendezvous Show by Seven Artists from Six Countries”, Colapasta in Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
2002 – “Images from Beyond”, Libreria San Pantalon, Venice, Italy
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2014/’16/’18/’20 – “7th – 10th International Printmaking Bienal Douro”, several museums, Douro area, Portugal
2018 – “1st International Triennial of Graphic Arts”, National Gallery of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
2014 – “The 2nd Lingshi International Print Biennal in China”, Niuwen Art Gallery, Lingshi, Shanxi Province, China
2012 – “Imprima 2012, Mostra Internacional de Gravura”, Escola de Cultura, Comunicação, Ofícios e Artes, Sobral, Brazil
2011 – 25th Sint-Niklaas Printmaking Biennial: Celebration”, International Ex-Libris Center, Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
2005 – “Rotterdam Geraakt”, Museum Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
1996/2000 – “3rd & 5th Sapporo International Print Biennales”, Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo, Japan
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
2020 – In: Nuno Canelas: “10th International Printmaking Biennial”, Alijó, Portugal (includes section on WWII show)
2014 – In: Li Kang: “2008-2014 Growing Wisdom Guanlan Prints”, Guanlan Original Printmaking Base, Shenzhen, China
2012 – In: Francisco Lara Mora, Clemente Barrena: Sobral, Imprima 2012, Sobral, Ceará, Brazil
2010 – In: “Rendezvous Show by Seven Artists from Six Countries”, Colapasta in Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
1997 – In: Lynne Allen, Phyllis McGibson, Ruth Weisberg: “The Best of Printmaking”, Rockport Publ., Gloucester, MA
Brazil: Dégagé; China: Print Art; Italy: Venezia News; Japan: Hokkaido Newspaper; South Korea: Art in Culture; Netherlands: Gelderlander, NIW; UK: Coventry Evening Telegraph; USA: Boston Printmakers e-newsletter, Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune, New Art Examiner
© Bert Menco