Hans Abbing on Art, Economics and Giving It Away

Hans Abbing (79) began his career as an economist in Groningen before moving to Amsterdam at the age of 28, where he has lived ever since. What few people know is that his artistic journey only began at that same age, when he first encountered art therapy during a stay at a mental health clinic. There, he discovered not only a love for art but also a talent for it, ultimately leading to his admission to the Rietveld Academy.

In addition to painting and drawing, Hans also immersed himself in photography. His panoramic images and abstract nude photographs became key elements of his body of work. While studying, he even built his own panoramic camera, though, as he laughs, he ended up using it mainly for anything but panoramas. His fascination with the technical side of things had always been there.

Still, the life of a full-time artist proved too unstable for him. “I became restless from the lack of structure”, he says. A brief stint at the Ministry
of Culture, which he describes as ‘a disaster’, didn’t help. But he found his place at Erasmus University Rotterdam, where he lectured for many years and wrote several influential books on cultural economics. His most well-known work, Why Are Artists Poor, served as his doctoral thesis and has since become a cornerstone publication. “Artists are too passionate and not business-minded enough,” he says with a smile. “But not me, I always understood economics.” Hans never saw his dual career as a contradiction. “One never made the other worse. On the contrary.”

Today, he’s taken a radically different approach: he’s giving his art away. “In fifty years, I’ve created so much. I don’t want some executor deciding what happens to it after I’m gone.” So he’s opened his studio to the public, allowing visitors to choose a piece and take it home, completely free. “The fact that people take time to look and choose makes me happy. It means the work isn’t being discarded but will live on elsewhere.”

The works are available free of charge from his studio at Krelis Louwenstraat 1, Amsterdam. Open every Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.hansabbing.nl.