BORN 1956 Melbourne
STUDIES
Fine Art RMIT 19881 – 1984
Diploma of Teaching University of Melbourne – 1989
Background
Born of Dutch parents he began painting at the early age of eight and held his first solo exhibition whilst still in his teens. He spent three years studying and painting in Amsterdam and London where he encountered the works of Constable, Turner and Rembrandt. This impressed him and influenced his own work. On returning to Melbourne he began studying for his fine arts degree. This brought him in close contact with some noted exponents of abstract and contemporary art in Australia, broadening his approached by focusing on the urban landscape and presenting it in a way unknown before. Three times winner of the coveted Camberwell Art Prize and twice winner of he Alice Bale award, this multi award-winning artist paints with an enthusiasm that is well recognized overseas as well as in Australia.
Apart from these notable prizes Herman has won approximately 90 major awards. In 1994 the National Taiwan art institute asked Herman to participate in a book and traveling exhibition with selected artists from Australia, USA and Taiwan. His works are featured in the books, ‘Australian Impressionist and Realist artists’, which was compiled by Tom Roberts; ‘120 Years of Watercolors’, by the Australian Realist Artists; ‘ Artists and Galleries of Australia and New Zealand’ by Max Germaine, and ‘Profile on contemporary Watercolors’. Herman’s works are represented in many private and corporate collections throughout Australia and overseas. Currently Herman holds sellout exhibitions annually in the USA.
Artist Statement
“I always had this conflict with myself thinking, ‘God, I’m only a traditional painter. It’s been done a hundred times before.’ And now I think, Well it has been done a hundred times before but if it has artistic integrity it doesn’t matter, and artistic integrity is something that’s very hard to explain. I don’t know how to put it, you see a painting and even though you know the subject and it’s been done a hundred times before, let’s say a plain old apple, it’s the way it’s painted, the feeling in the painting, the brush strokes, the paint quality, everything about it that sets it apart. Quite often modern work hits you with a bang but really it’s very shallow if it’s taken any further and quite often doesn’t stand the test of time.”
EXHIBITIONS
2012 Trevor Victor Harvey Gallery, Seaforth Australia (Group Show)
2011 Trevor Victor Harvey Gallery, Seaforth Australia (Group Show)
2010 Solander
2010 Lindberg
2010 Wollongong Regional Gallery, Group Show
2010 Gosford Regional Gallery, Group Show
2010 ‘Landscapes’, Group Show, Trevor Victor Harvey Gallery, Seaforth Australia
2009 Lindberg Contemporary
2009 Mosman Regional Gallery, Group Show
2009 Bathurst Regional Gallery, Group Show
2009 Castlemaine Regional Gallery, Group Show
2008 Lindberg Contemporary
2008 Caulfield Arts Complex, Group Show
2006 Grafton Regional Gallery, Group Show
2006 Trevor Victor Harvey Gallery, Seaforth Australia
2006 Greenhill Gallery
2006 Axia Modern Art
2004 Mahonies Gallery
2004 Trevor Victor Harvey Gallery, Seaforth Australia
2003 David Sumner Gallery
2002 Mahonies Gallery
2002 Artarmon Gallery, Group Show
2001 Mahonies Gallery
1998 Delshan Gallery
1994 Delshan Gallery
1994 Taiwan National Gallery, Group Show
1985 Von Bertoch Galleries
1985 Gould Gallery, Group Show
1983 Australian Galleries, Group Show
1983 Pinacothica Galleries
1979 Wiregrass Galleries
1978 Wiregrass Galleries
1974 Ordon Galleries
AWARDS
1995 Camberwell Rotary’s Gold Medal Watercolor Prize
1993 Camberwell Rotary’s Gold Medal Watercolor Prize & Alice Bale Award
1989 Camberwell Travel Grant and Rotary’s Gold Medal Watercolor Prize
1989 Alice Bale Award
1988 Wesley Art Judged by Director of the National Gallery
1987 & 83 Mountbatten Award
COLLECTIONS
Artbank
Eltham Shire Permanent Collection
National Leasing Collection-Canberra
Royal Overseas League-London
St. Kevin’s College-Toorak
BOOKS & PUBLICATIONS
Impressionist journey – by Douglas Stewart
Impressionist and realist artists of Australia – by Tom Roberts
Artists and Galleries of Australia and New Zealand – by Max Germaine
Melbourne Art Review
The Age – Robert Nelson