Melbourne arts legend Frits Van Eeden to host final exhibition before moving overseas

Rick Neale
Florida Today

Frits Van Eeden spent roughly 40 creative years as an artist-in-residence, exhibiting artist and instructor at the Renee Foosaner Education Center in Eau Gallie, teaching and training thousands of students and artists.

Described by the Florida Institute of Technology as "a prolific abstract painter, sculptor and printmaker," Van Eeden's impactful Space Coast career is drawing to a close.

He will soon move back to his native Netherlands to spend more time with his family.

Van Eeden's farewell Brevard County exhibition, "Fare Thee Well," premieres from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Upside Gallery in downtown Melbourne. His art will remain on display through July 5.

More:Florida Tech's Funk textile museum to become esports arena, generating mixed reviews

More:Space Coast Pride Festival and Parade to move from Eau Gallie to downtown Melbourne

“On top of being just an impressive artist, he's just the nicest guy. And he's just one of the most generous artists I've ever worked with," said Carla Funk, the Foosaner Art Museum's former executive director and chief curator.

"He's given so much to the community through his lessons. He taught forever at the Foosaner, and he was always in demand," Funk said. "He gave so much of his art and his paintings to so many nonprofits and auctions and special events."

"He was just so charitable. I’ve never worked with an artist like him that was so generous. So he will be greatly missed," she said.

Artist Frits Van Eeden stands alongside his paintings at "Fare Thee Well," his farewell exhibition from Saturday through July 5 at Upside Gallery in downtown Melbourne.

"I survived bone cancer. And I'm 77 in the meantime. I just want to spend some time with my family," Van Eeden said, sitting in Upside Gallery surrounded by his colorful artwork.

"Time moves on. But I worked for so many years for the Foosaner. I had a wonderful life. I enjoyed it," Van Eeden said.

"And the best part was, since I was the worst student, I felt I could give something back — since people spent so much time on me, I could do something for the community," he said. "It was a very nice feeling. At least I was useful in some way."

Van Eeden said he bought a tiny church on 22 acres of land northeast of Amsterdam about 40 years ago. He has converted it into a studio house and plans move to there to spend time with his grandchildren and relatives.

Paintings by Frits Van Eeden are displayed at Upside Gallery in downtown Melbourne for his farewell exhibition, "Fare Thee Well."

Van Eeden arrived in Brevard in 1979. He made a splash by entering a life-sized sculpture of horses in a juried competition at the Brevard Art Center and Museum — and winning "Best in Show."

"One of most powerful things about Frits' art, and what he's taught the artists in the community, is that there's power in simplicity," said Claudia Pastorius, curator of Upside Gallery.

"He uses very simple lines to create powerful images with a lot of energy and force — that almost seems to fly out at you from the canvas," Pastorius said.

"In this exhibit, we’re lucky to be able to view some of those archetypical images. He’s very famous for the horses that he's done, and the sailboats and the seagulls," she said.

Van Eeden owned art studios in West Melbourne, Eau Gallie and downtown Melbourne over the years.

He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a bone marrow cancer, in 2012. After traveling to and from the Netherlands for chemotherapy and treatment, he said he was pronounced cancer-free about two years ago.

Artist Frits Van Eeden poses with Upside Gallery manager Monica Black (left) and curator Claudia Pastorius surrounded by his artwork for his "Fare Thee Well" exhibition.

Van Eeden said he has no idea how many paintings he has created during his career.

"I've tried not to clone myself. If you want to get used to a subject, you have to do it many, many times to get the essence," Van Eeden said.

"People used to think I'd only paint horses. And then now, they probably say I only paint seagulls. Seagulls are just something recent — a year ago, I was into sailboats," he said.

"But I like to change. Because then, the subject becomes fresh and new, and you pay attention. And I go from very realistic to abstract," he said.

"I guess I did so many classes for many years, I felt I have to be able to do it all," he said.

During a June 3 FLORIDA TODAY interview, Van Eeden said he would conduct a painting demonstration during the Brevard County Sheriff's Office's Dancing for the Space Coast charitable event, held June 5.

"I don’t know the subject yet. I just ... sometimes I just start and then — whatever — comes out of my brush," he said.

Van Eeden ended up painting a cubistic abstract on a 4-by-5-foot canvas. He worked for about two hours before hundreds of attendees. The fundraiser benefited Habitat for Humanity of Brevard, Family Promise of Brevard, Women’s Center of Brevard and the U.S. Law Enforcement Eternal Flame.

Van Eeden similarly donated artwork and performed artistic demonstrations for a long list of charities and fundraising events over the years. 

During a unique 2003 event, Van Eeden ate, slept and painted inside the Brevard Museum of Art and Science to boost awareness of its exhibits and programs. He crafted paintings on 15 canvases taped to the walls of the museum's largest gallery. 

Frits van Eeden poses with Darcia Jones Francy in January 2016 during the U.S. Space Walk of Fame's annual Astronaut Dinner at the Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts in Melbourne.

In May 2013, his namesake Frits van Eeden Gallery opened inside the Renee Foosaner Education Center. The gallery showcases artwork created by local art instructors.

Then in December 2015, a crane operator installed Van Eeeden's 22-foot-tall, 4,000-pound steel and glass sculpture, "Passage," on the south side of the Foosaner Art Museum facing Eau Gallie Square. The sculpture is readily visible to Highland Avenue motorists.

That same year, Van Eeden created the poster for the ArtWorks of Eau Gallie Fine Arts Festival. The poster honored ArtWorks founder Link Johnsten, who owned Eau Gallie Florist for four decades.

"He left a really great legacy to the area," Funk said.

Upside Gallery is located at 802 E. New Haven Ave. in downtown Melbourne.

'Fare Thee Well'

Upside Gallery will host Frits Van Eeden's final Brevard County exhibition, "Fare Thee Well," from June 12-July 5 in downtown Melbourne.

The gallery address is 802 E. New Haven Ave. The exhibition, which also includes art by Karin Delagi, premieres from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Jazz saxophonist Fred Cavese will perform.

For details, call 321-414-5100 or visit facebook.com/theupsidegallery.

Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1. To subscribe: https://cm.floridatoday.com/specialoffer/