The Belgian ZERO artist Jef Verheyen (1932-1984) became known as the painter of light streams and colour spectra. He experimented not only with light, but also with movement and the invisible as means to evoke natural mechanisms and to reveal universal interrelationships between human beings and the surrounding world. He used geometric principles – his passion for geometry was born out of his interest in mathematics and (Greek) philosophy – as the basis for harmony. Verheyen never gave up on traditional media and materials such as the canvas, paint, and brushes to search for the essence of our nature.

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Jef Verheyen

• 0736 • Untitled , 1956

Fondazione Lucio Fontana

Painting , 82 x 38.5 cm

oil paint on masonite

In September 1957 the 25-year-old Verheyen

visits the modern metropolis of Milan for the

first time. There he forges contacts with artists

and gallery owners. In February 1958 he holds

his first exhibition in Milan’s Galleria Pater.

Verheyen describes that moment as ‘the start of

an immensely exciting story’. The Italian public

get to see his earliest paintings there. These are

notable for their cosmic or ‘labyrinthine’ style.

At that exhibition, Italian-Argentine artist Lucio

Fontana purchases this small painting. It is now

part of the Fondazione Lucio Fontana collection.

Fontana bought this work on the opening of the exhibition at Galleria Pater, 17 February 1958.

The work is on view on the installation photograph (on the right) by Sinigaglia.

Verheyen writes about this work to Yves Klein in his letter from 7 February 1959: Fontana, je le connais bien depuis assez de temps, il m’a acheté quelques peintures qui représentent encore une écriture.

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