Joop and Truus Doodeheefver were an artist couple who moved from Amsterdam to Aalten in 1973 and remained active there for decades. In Aalten, Joop (1924–2001) focused on drawings and transparent watercolours of landscapes and farms. Truus (1928–2004) created portraits, animal figures and independent work in bronze, aluminium and wood. They regularly exhibited together within the region and further afield.
Johannes Christoffel (Joop) Doodeheefver was born in Amsterdam on 6 June 1924. He trained in the studio of Nel Fernhout and worked for approximately thirty years as a designer-colourist at his father’s wallpaper factory, the firm Rath & Doodeheefver. In 1945, he married Truus Kremer.
Geertruida Jeannette Frederika (Truus) Kremer was born in Leiden on 15 February 1928. Shortly afterwards, the family moved to Amsterdam. She learned sculpting from Adrianus Remiëns and married Joop Doodeheefver in 1945.
Move to Aalten
The couple had long cherished the desire to one day leave hectic Amsterdam behind and settle in the “as yet unspoilt east”. In 1973, they put their words into action and settled with their family at the monumental farmhouse De Kiefte in the Aalten hamlet of Heurne.
Here, Joop dedicated himself to sketching and painting watercolours of the surrounding landscapes and farms. He also undertook a great deal of commissioned work to capture objects, individuals and landscapes for future generations. Additionally, he provided the illustrations for the book De Freule van Dorth (The Noblewoman of Dorth), written by Ben Bekker (1974).
Truus sculpted naturalistic portraits and animal figures, and also produced woodcarvings. A well-known piece by her hand is the statuette of Hendrickje Stoffels at ’t Zand in Bredevoort (1977).
They exhibited successfully both jointly and individually, both in the Netherlands and abroad.
Gallery
A selection of works by Joop and Truus Doodeheefver:
