"German Dutch Friendship" Painting by Robbert De Bakker

Robbert de Bakker / Robbert de Bakker / Netherlands

A large, striking work by Dutch artist Robbert De Bakker (Haarlem, The Netherlands 1942.). Painted in the Rotterdam in 1995, this painting is commentary on the long and tumultuous relationship between The Netherlands and Germany. The translation of the text on top (Deutsch Niederländische Freundschaft) reads "German Dutch Friendship" The bottom text "Und willst du nicht mein bruder sein so hau ich dir den schadel ein" translates to "And if you don't want to be my brother, i'll hit you on the head". On a side note, De Bakker gained some notoriety after it was discovered that he was the driving force (and actual creator) of a slew of forgeries that flooded the Dutch and European art scene. As a result he was convicted to one year in prison at age 72.