Circa 1980

Camille Claudel (1864-1943) was a French sculptur known for her figurative works in bronze and marble. She died in relative obscurity, but later gained recognition for the originality and quality of her work.

Circa 1986

Circa 1989

Constant's house on the Kromme Waal was very close to the Amsterdam Red Light District, an area that suffered from a huge drug problem in the 1980's. This poignant image arose after Constant encountered one of the many heroin-addicted sex workers in his neighbourhood.

Circa 1989

Constant and his partner Matie van Domselaer, who would become his wife in 1942, lived at Sarphatipark 42 II (Bollandpark for the Germans),  in Amsterdam during the Second World War: from 1943 until 1945. During the war, artists were required to register with the Reich Chamber of Culture to be allowed to continue their practice. Constant did not register and would therefore hide in the crawl space between his floor and the floor below him, during raids (razzia's). Matie sat on a chair, placed on the crawl space hatch covered by a rug, and knitted as if nothing was out of the ordinary.