Paul VAN HOEYDONCK (Belgian, b. 1925)Between 1955 and 1965, Paul van Hoeydonck was at the centre of artistic developments in Brussels, Antwerp, Paris, Venice, Milan, Dusseldorf and New York. He exhibited with Iris Clert in Paris, who sold his work to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Van Hoeydonck also entertained friendships with influential critics such as Pierre Restany, and established exchanges with Piero Manzoni, Pol Bury,Yves Klein, Heinz Mack, Otto Piene, Daniel Spoerri and Jean Tinguely. Lucio Fontanta became a close personal friend. Although Van Hoeydonck was never officially a member of the Zero group, founded in Dusseldorf in 1957, he was always invited to exhibit at the group's exhibitions in Germany and in Holland. In 1958, Van Hoeydonck was a co-founder of the G58 group who exhibited their works at the Hessenhuis, Antwerp. By the summer of 1962, Van Hoeydonck was a guest of honor at the XXXI Venice Biennale. In 1971, the crew of Apollo 15 placed Van Hoeydonck's Fallen Astronaut on the moon surface, an opportunity granted to the artist that still remains unique today. Van Hoeydonck's works are held by museums worldwide: Galleria Comunale d'Arte Moderna, Rome
Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.