Peter Struycken (The Hague, 1939) is an influential Dutch artist and pioneer in the field of systematic and digital art. His oeuvre includes painting, computer-generated works, light installations, urban design and stamp designs. Struycken is known for his research into structure, colour and order, in which he often consciously subordinates the subjective role of the artist to predetermined systems.
After his education at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, Struycken developed a radically different approach to art in the 1960s: he no longer worked from expression or intuition, but from algorithms, series and arithmetic principles. In doing so, he became one of the first Dutch artists to generate images with the aid of the computer — long before digital art became commonplace.
His fame among the general public increased through projects in public spaces, such as the colourful square at the Rotterdam Schouwburgplein, his light installation in the Utrecht Stationshal, and the iconic rainbow stamp from 1981. He also designed the official portrait of Queen Beatrix in 1985, composed of thousands of coloured areas that together form a stylised whole.
In his work, Struycken continually investigates how colour and form are experienced within systems of repetition, chance and variation. His work rarely evokes direct emotion, but forces us to look, compare and analyse. He is therefore not only an artist, but also a visual thinker who stretches the boundaries between art, mathematics and technology.
Peter Struycken is considered a key figure in Dutch conceptual and geometric-abstract art. His work is included in countless museums and collections, and his influence extends far beyond the national borders. He remains active as an artist and thinker until old age, with an oeuvre that is unique in its consistency, radicality and visual power.
