About Piet Tuytel

Piet Tuytel is a sculptor, painter, draftsman, graphic artist and photographer. After a teacher training (drawing, manual work and textile work forms) he attended the Ateliers ’63 in Haarlem for two years. In addition to his work as a sculptor, he was a teacher and taught at various art academies in the Netherlands for many years.

Tuytel loves the flat polder landscape of the Netherlands, the emptiness of which becomes tangible through a single farm or a mast. Sometimes those sparse elements are missing and you have to drive pegs into the ground to focus the gaze. The space itself is part of the work. This was also the case with his lithos: the white of the paper gives meaning to the lines and surfaces.

His earlier works are made up of building materials such as mastic, tar, concrete and board. In his studio at the time, large objects with scaffolding parts, bathtubs and oil tanks were created. Later, the scale of his work became more intimate and objects that were more related to the human environment were created: for example tables, chairs and sinks. After that, a period of abstraction set in, in which figures and photos were carriers of his oeuvre.

Tuytel’s more recent work are constructions of H and T beams. Despite the heavy, industrial material, due to their loose stacking and placement and the use of color the objects are light and playful. The sculptures are classic and minimalist. His works do not need a pedestal; they are part of the environment. In his own words, his works are not “made”, but “found” or “seen.”

His Space Jam # 1, Space Jam # 2 and Space Jam # 3 were on display at ART ZUID 2017. Three objects made of steel in red, yellow and blue, with the base just as prominent as the vertical or angled part. No plinth here either. The title Jam may refer to a jam session, a rhythmic and dynamic interplay of jazz musicians, without a preconceived plan.