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Henri Christophe Charles (Carel) to the Nerée Babberich (Zevenaar, March 18 1880 - Todtmoos, October 19 1909) was a Dutch artist and painter who worked in the decadent style of Aubrey Beardsley.

The Nerée was born in Zevenaar on Huize Babberich as the son of Frederick Nerée tot Babberich (1851-1882) and Constance van Houten (1858-1930).

De Nerée began drawing and writing around 1898. Initially he had literary rather than visual ambitions but would end up being a visual artist. Only posthumous two French poems were published in La Revue de Hollande. De Nerée's literary and artistic work is very much inspired by decadent authors such as Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Gabriele d'Annunzio, Pierre Louys or Camille Mauclair. This inspiration is quite exceptional in Dutch art and literature of the period.

In 1901, the Nerée worked in Madrid as Secrétaire du Consulat des Pays-Bas. Unfortunately he catches TBC: a disease that would determine his further life. In Madrid De Nerée is visited by his friend Henri van Booven who later gave a thinly veiled report of this visit in his novel Een liefde in Spanje ('A Love in Spain', 1928). The Nerée also inspired Van Booven to write his volume of (prose)poems Witte Nachten ('White Nights', 1901) and the novel Tropenwee ('Tropical Woe', 1904). The latter being a Conrad-like report of his tramatic visit to the Belgian Congo[1]. In his turn Van Booven gives De Nerée The Early Work (1899) by Aubrey Beardsley. This would initially, together with Francisco Goya and Jan Toorop , be the biggest influence on the Nerees style of drawing. Later, as becomes apparent from his use of color, he is more freed from his early influences and creates his own unique style. He is a very original representative of the European Symbolist and Decadent artistic movement. He was an exceptional artist with a very 'un-Dutch' style. During his life he received little recognition, few people even knew that he painted and drawed, and only after his death his work was exhibited. Due to his poor health drawing and painting became ever more difficult around 1904. The works from this period though are characterized by their colors and as such are his best and most unique achievements. The gold nuances an symbolism of these works often recall associations with Klimt and Moreau. In 1905 he manages to sell some work in Germany. He dies on October 19, 1909, just 29 years of age, in the southern German kuroord Todtmoos and is buried in Clarens near Montreux. A classic example of a fin-de-siecle decadent genius who died young, not unlike Ernest Dowson or Aubrey Beardsley.

The nature of his work, his being Dutch, the Beardsley-replication and thus the 'decadent' character, set the Nerée naturally in a somewhat isolated position in art history. During the twentieth century, however his work was exhibited several times and has received a small crowd of admirers. To the general public the Dutch Aubrey Beardsley remains mostly unknown though.

Works

Here is a selection of his works:

Henri Booven as a young priest (1900)
Walden, [not used] book cover (1900)
The beautiful image (1900)
Introduction to ecstasy of Couperus (1900-01)
Ecstasy, finals (1900-01)
Self Portrait (1900-01)
Illustration for Le Jardin des Supplices (1899) by Octave Mirbeau (1900)
Love Game No. 1 (1900-01)
Black Swans (1901)
The Bride (1901)
Two Women (1901)
Salome (1901)
Owl(1903)
Clowning (1904)
La Musique (1904)
La rencontre (1904)
Sortie (1904)
Rococo (1904-05)
Rôdeuse (1904-05)
Portrait Study / selfportrait (1905?)
Study of a Sulamitische (1905?)
Le mauvais regard (1906?)

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 In 1901, the Nerée worked in Madrid as Secrétaire du Consulat des Pays-Bas. Unfortunately he catches TBC: a disease that would determine his further life.
-In Madrid De Nerée is visited by his friend Henri van Booven who later gave a thinly veiled report of this visit in his novel ''Een liefde in Spanje'' ('A Love in Spain', 1928). The Nerée also inspired  Van Booven to write his volume of (prose)poems ''Witte Nachten'' ('White Nights', 1901) and the novel ''Tropenwee'' ('Tropical Woe', 1904). The latter being a  Conrad-like report of his tramatic visit to the Belgian Congo[http://ajol.info/index.php/tvl/article/view/29842].
+In Madrid De Nerée is visited by his friend [[Henri van Booven]] who later gave a thinly veiled report of this visit in his novel ''Een liefde in Spanje'' ('A Love in Spain', 1928). The Nerée also inspired  Van Booven to write his volume of (prose)poems ''Witte Nachten'' ('White Nights', 1901) and the novel ''Tropenwee'' ('Tropical Woe', 1904). The latter being a  Conrad-like report of his tramatic visit to the Belgian Congo[http://ajol.info/index.php/tvl/article/view/29842].
-In his turn Van Booven  gives De  Nerée The Early Work (1899) by [[Aubrey Beardsley]], initially, together with [[Francisco Goya]] and [[Jan Toorop]] , the biggest influence on the Nerees style of drawing. Later, as is apparent from his use of color, he is more free from that influence and it becomes apparant that he is a very original representative of the European Symbolist and Decadent movement. He was an exceptional artist with a very 'un-Dutch' style.
+In his turn Van Booven  gives De  Nerée ''The Early Work'' (1899) by [[Aubrey Beardsley]].  This would initially, together with [[Francisco Goya]] and [[Jan Toorop]] , be the biggest influence on the Nerees style of drawing. Later, as becomes apparent from his use of color, he is more freed from his early influences and creates his own unique style. He is a very original representative of the European [[Symbolist]] and Decadent artistic movement. He was an exceptional artist with a very 'un-Dutch' style.
 During his life he received little recognition, few people even knew that he painted and drawed, and only after his death his work was exhibited.
-Due to his poor health around 1904 drawing and painting became ever more difficult. The works from this period though are characterized by their colors and as such are his best and most unique achievements. The gold nuances and symbolism of these works often recall associations with [[Klimt]] and [[Moreau]]. In 1905 he manages to sell some work in Germany.  He dies on October 19, 1909 in the southern German kuroord Todtmoos and is buried in Clarens near Montreux.
+Due to his poor health drawing and painting became ever more difficult around 1904. The works from this period though are characterized by their colors and as such are his best and most unique achievements. The gold nuances an symbolism of these works often recall associations with [[Klimt]] and [[Moreau]]. In 1905 he manages to sell some work in Germany.  He dies on October 19, 1909, just 29 years of age, in the southern German kuroord Todtmoos and is buried in Clarens near Montreux. A classic example of a [[fin-de-siecle decadent]] genius who died young, not unlike Ernest Dowson or Aubrey Beardsley.
-The nature of his work, the Beardsley-replication and thus the 'decadent' character, set the Nerée naturally in a somewhat isolated position in art history.  During the twentieth century, however his work was exhibited several times and has received a small crowd of admirers. To the general public the Dutch Aubrey Beardsley remains mostly unknown though.
+The nature of his work, his being Dutch, the Beardsley-replication and thus the 'decadent' character, set the Nerée naturally in a somewhat isolated position in art history. During the twentieth century, however his work was exhibited several times and has received a small crowd of admirers. To the general public the Dutch Aubrey Beardsley remains mostly unknown though.