Born in Alkmaar, the Netherlands, 1931. Lives and works with susanne jacob de vries in Eschenau, Germany. de vries started as a horticulturalist and natural scientist. During the 1960s he took part in the “Zero” movement. Since then he has focused the research on nature considering its primary realty, inspired by oriental philosophy (particularly Buddhist and Hindu) and poetry. According to the artist’s words: “Because we have lost our immediate relationship with nature, we need the additional mediation of art to restore the unity that we once formed with nature” (Anne Moeglin-Delcroix, from "La proximité dans la distance", 2009). de vries was selected to represent the Netherlands at the 2015 Venice Biennale and was the subject of a retrospective exhibition at Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam in 2015, after relevant participations to prestigious group exhibitions at Stedelijk Museum Schiedam in 2011 and at the Guggenheim in New York. fa-art.de Photo by Christian Blei. Image courtesy of the artist.