Peter Alma Explained

Peter Alma
Birth Date:18 January 1886
Birth Place:Medan, Indonesia
Death Place:Amsterdam
Nationality:Dutch
Occupation:Painter

Peter Alma (18 January 1886 Medan – 23 May 1969 Amsterdam) was a Dutch artist. Alma was born in Medan, Indonesia, and attended the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, in 1904. On the recommendation of Franz Seiwert, he was employed by the Gesellschafts- und Wirtschaftsmuseum, working with Gerd Arntz and Augustin Tschinkel on developing isotypes. He travelled to Moscow with Arntz and Otto Neurath to work at IZOSTAT to help them draw up pictorial images for statistics of the Five Year Plans.[1] Alma was a member of Nederlandsche Vereeniging voor Ambachts- en Nijverheidskunst (V.A.N.K.) the Dutch Association for Craft and Craft Art.[2] He painted several large murals in and around Amsterdam in the 1930s.[3]

Works

Murals

A 1939 mural celebrating rail transportation covers the interior wall of one Amsterdam Amstel railway station.

A signed, undated mural of six men with machinery and tools stands in the stairwell of Stadhouderskade 68, Amsterdam (currently Hotel Aston City). The figures bear a range of skin tones, from brown to buff, indicating interracial inclusion.

Amsterdam Museum

The Amsterdam Museum keeps a number of his works in their depot:

Notes and References

  1. Book: Annink. Ed. Bruinsma. Max. Gerd Arntz Graphic Designer. 2010. 010. Rotterdam. 9789064507632.
  2. Web site: V.A.N.K. Nederlanse Vereniging voor Ambachts- en Nijverheidskuns . Beeldend BeNeLux Elektronisch (Lexicon) . 15 December 2020.
  3. name="Transportation on Peter Alma's murals">Web site: den Boer . Arjan. Transportation on Peter Alma's murals . Retours . 9 August 2023.