Leo Vroman, poet, scientist and artist, celebrated his 95th birthday on 10 April 2010. To commemorate this occasion the majority of his visual work was shown for the first time at the Weesperzijde gallery in Amsterdam. This exhibition took place in April-May 2010.
Leo Vroman is primarily recognised as a poet in the Netherlands. He published more than fifty poetry collections for some of which he earned prestigious prizes such as the P.C. Hooft prize for poetry. In America he is know as a scientist. His visual art remained relatively obscure in comparison. However he had been drawing for most of his life. Just as his literary, poetic and scientific work (which could be called the poetry of science) were intertwined with each other so was his visual art.
The exhibition displayed a large number of unknown drawings from the private collection of Leo and Tineke Vroman and their daughters Geri and Peggy, supplemented with work from the Dutch Literary Museum and from private collections. This was also the first time the Camp Diary was shown in digital form.
In the centenary of his birth this exhibition toured various locations in the Netherlands
- Gouda, de Chocoladefabriek
- Groningen, de universiteitsbibliotheek en Gronings Medisch Centrum
- Utrecht, Nacht van de Poëzie en Openbare Bibliotheek
- Zelhem, Galerie Bibliotheek
- Emmen, Centrum Beeldende Kunst Emmen