In the wonderful countryside between Neede and Diepenheim lives and works sculptor Anton ter Braak. In this sculptor’s universe horses, bulls, female figures as well as abstract forms play an important role.
“Themes that will serve me for years to come; one work leading to another. It is my aim to try and get closer and closer to the very essence of my subjects. Over the last twenty years I have developed my own style.” The exhibition room, housing part of the collection, can be found In the basement below the studio/workshop. The garden of sculptures contains the larger pieces. Ter Braak organises “open studio” days on a regular basis: for instance on Ascension Day and the weekend following. Apart from exhibitions at home and abroad he wants to give potential customers and buyers an opportunity to have a look around at his home. In his working environment he can show how a sculpture is created and specific wishes can be discussed.
In addition to his free work Anton ter Braak also works on an order-basis. Before accepting an order, he will however ascertain whether it is in his line of work: “An order should be stimulating, a true challenge”.
“His sculptures balance on the border of the abstract and the figurative. Based on imagination, not reality. The essence of woman, bull or horse is portrayed in an exaggerated probably even an idealised way. The material, always bronze with Ter Braak, takes it from there: smooth, polished surfaces, contrasting with rough-textured parts, strong shaded portions and a unmistakably classical distinction which one always associates with bronze”.
(Interview with Herman Havercate, Tubantia newspaper).
“The artists manages to capture the essence, the soul of his compact sculptures of female figures, bulls and horses in a highly personal and potent manner. Using an inner sense of beauty as well as a subtle use of materials. The elegant figures, of both man and animal have grown still or, on the contrary, seem full of motion. By entwining and girding the shapes, using solidified bandages or gunny the artist makes use of a procedure that both connects and divides separate parts and thus he arrives at a style that commands respect through a very individual signature that is clearly present in his more abstract works too.
(Quote from a review by Anita Tournois at the occasion of an exhibition in Zeeland, PZC: newspaper Zeeland).