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The 2CV Alaska Challenge

Ten Tall Tales About 2CV's


Tall Tale No.3
Willem van Donk   (1921-1958)

Willem van Donk, Pomeranian post impressionist painter, whose work represents the archetype of automotive expressionism, the idea of emotional spontaneity in painting.

Van Donk had a restless temperament that was to thwart his every pursuit. At the age of 27 he went to Paris to live with his brother, Trevor van Donk, a car dealer. The year was 1948 and Willem van Donk found himself at the Paris motor show, where he first saw the new Citroën 2CV. Van Donk was inspired by the car, for it seemed to embody all his restless anguish, all his emotional torment, all the passion he found so hard to express. Subsequently his work adopted the brilliant hues and bold lines found in the 2CV.

All of van Donk’s energy became focused on the car and in 1950 he managed to scrape together enough money to buy a 2CV. He then left Paris and drove down to southern France, where under the burning sun of Provence he painted scenes of the fields, cypress trees, peasants and the 2CV. During this period, living at Arles, he began to use the swirling brush strokes and intense yellows, greens and blues associated with such typical works as 2CV at Arles (1950) and Starry 2CV (1951).

In his enthusiasm he induced the painter Rolf Harris, whom he had met earlier in Paris, to join him. After less than 2 months they began to have violent disagreements, largely centered around the role of the automobile in art. This culminated when Harris accidentally bashed the wing of the 2CV with his didgeridoo, and van Donk wildly threatened him with a razor. The same night, in deep remorse, van Donk cut off part of his nose. He then spent a year in the nearby asylum of Saint-Remy, working between repeated spells of madness. There followed another tremendous burst of strenuous activity and during the last 70 days of his life he painted 70 canvases, many featuring the 2CV. But his spiritual anguish and depression became more acute and on 27th July 1958 he died from the results of a self-inflicted bullet wound.


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These Tall Tales originally appeared on The 2CV Alaska Challenge web site and remain the copyright of Rob Godfrey.