Originally trained as a fashion designer, Maarten van Dreven turned his focus on art from 1972. Like his life partner, artist Jurjen de Haan (1936-2018), he preferred working in large format. Van Dreven’s background as a fashion designer always remained evident in his work. His often meticulously worked out drawings of masks, underwear and sportswear betray a fetishist interest in the subject matter. Homoeroticism is never far away in Van Dreven’s work.
