







Daan Lemaire was born in Naarden in 1942[1] and spent his career working in the colour-field tradition, producing abstract paintings in watercolour and gouache that owe a clear debt to Mark Rothko. Where Rothko built his rectangles in oil on monumental canvases, Lemaire worked on paper, using the medium's inherent translucency to create layers of colour that seem to float within each other rather than sit on top.
Key facts
- Born
- 1942, Dutch[1]
- Wikipedia
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Biography
His active period ran from 1968 to 2019, a span of five decades in which the concerns remained largely consistent: the interaction of tone, the weight of colour against a ground, the point at which two adjacent hues create a perceptible vibration. He also worked in glass, developing a parallel practice in stained glass and glass fusion that applied the same chromatic logic to a medium that transmits rather than reflects light.
Lemaire operated largely outside the commercial gallery mainstream, and his reputation is built among collectors who follow Dutch[1] abstract painting rather than through international survey exhibitions. The works on paper are the core of his legacy: quiet, considered, and technically accomplished within a self-imposed discipline that changed very little over fifty years.
Timeline
- 1942Born in Naarden.
- 1968Began his career working in the colour-field tradition, producing abstract paintings.
- 1968Started working on paper, using watercolour to create layers of colour.
- 1968Began working in glass, developing a practice in stained glass and glass fusion.
- 2019Ended his active period after five decades of work.
Notable Works
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Daan Lemaire known for?
Daan Lemaire is known for his abstract paintings in watercolour and gouache, which show the influence of Mark Rothko. He also developed a parallel practice in stained glass and glass fusion, applying the same chromatic logic to a medium that transmits rather than reflects light. His reputation is among collectors who follow Dutch[1] abstract painting.What was Daan Lemaire's art style?
Daan Lemaire worked in the colour-field tradition, producing abstract paintings. He used watercolour's inherent translucency to create layers of colour that seem to float. He also worked in glass, developing a parallel practice in stained glass and glass fusion that applied the same chromatic logic.When was Daan Lemaire born?
Daan Lemaire was born in 1942[1].
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Daan Lemaire.
- [1] wikipedia Wikipedia: Daan Lemaire Used for: biography, birth dates, death dates, identifiers, movement attribution, nationality.
- [2] book guggenheim-refigur00kren Used for: biography.
- [3] book Masterpieces of western art : a history of art in 900 individual studies from the Gothic to the present day Used for: biography.
- [4] book Metropolitan Museum Of Art, Metropolitan Museum Of Art - Dutch Painting, the Golden Age_ an Exhibition of Dutch Pictures of the Seventeenth Century, under the High Patronage of Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands - Metropolitan Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art, Art Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-06-18. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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