Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Theo Kley

Boinero Exceptionel Theo Kley died 4 days ago...

Theodorus Johannes (Theo) Kley (1936 - October 15, 2022) was a Dutch visual artist and one of the founders of the “Deskundologies Laboratorium” (Experts Laboratory).

After the bombing of Rotterdam, Kley grew up in the southern Dutch city of Breda. There he trained as an instrument maker and goldsmith. From 1951 to 1955 did the four-year training as an industrial designer, illustrator and advertising designer at the Academy of Fine Arts Sint-Joost. From 1957 to 1960 he studied at the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht.

From 1960 to 1964, Kley travelled through southern Europe, Turkey, Rhodesia and Kenya. He was inspired by the rock paintings of the Bushmen and had an exhibition in Rhodesia. After this period, he married the sculptress Josephine van den Bergh in 1964. 

He settled on the Oudezijds Achterburgwal in Amsterdam. This city, and in particular the village of Ruigoord near the city, formed his base from then on. Kley created a huge roof garden on the roof of his house, which he would dismantle in 1996.

In 1968 Kley founded the “Eksoties Kietsj Konservaatoriejum” (Excotic Kitsch Conservatory) and in 1969 he was one of the founders of the Insect Sect. For this he collaborated with the dentist-artist Max Reneman and the violinist Hub Mathijsen.

In 1969, together with Roelof Kiers (VPRO-TV) and others, he wrote the television opera Mother what is wrong with this planet. In 1971 he founded the Experts Laboratory together with Max Reneman, Robert Jasper Grootveld, Hub Mathijsen and others.

In 1972 he founded the “Amsterdam Ballon Gezelschap” (Amsterdam Balloon Company) with Guus Boissevain, Aad van der Mijn, Rudolf Stokvis and the poet Leo van der Zalm. 

From 1973 this "hard core of soft aviation" made trips from Ruigoord to Tibet, India and Mongolia with an old bus, called "airbus".


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