The artist as a young dog

Born in the memorable year 1933, on the southern hemisphere, in Surabya , Indonesia. During 1942-1945 imprisoned in Japanese camps. Migration to the Netherlands in 1946.
Started painting in 1948 . Painting lessons by Stien Eelsingh in Staphorst .Admiration for the abstract-surrealist painter Piet Ouborg. Stimulated by the expressionist artist Jan Wiegers, and the abstract painter Willy Boers. Meetings with Karel Appel and Theo Wolvecamp, who started afterwards the Cobra movement in the autumn of 1949. Gribling developped a related primitive style, using the material qualities of paint. A choice of works from this period (1948-1952)is collected in the Museum of Schiedam.

The fifties

Settled in 1952 in Amsterdam ,spending also some time in Paris . 
NEW MATERIALISM : ACTION PAINTING and INFORMAL ART (1954 1960). First solo-exhibition in the beginning of 1955,showing lyrical abstractions amd kalligraphic drawings . In contact with artists working in the same direction as Bram Bogart , Armando and Henk Peeters, founder of the "INFORMELE GROEP" in the Netherlands .
Study of Art History with Professor J.Q.van Regteren Altena at Amsterdam University . Writing 1958-1960 art-reviews for the weekly HAAGSE POST , in a team with Armando and Simon Vinkenoog .

The sixties

Member of the LIGA NIEUW BEELDEN, a meetingpoint of progressive architects and artists(1960-1965)
1960-1964 : Experiments with new and uncommon materials , polyester e.a. in painting .Show of "TACTILES" in Gallery 845 (1962)."Realist Manifesto" (1962) ,presented in Galery "LSD 25" , Amsterdam , in collaboration with the poët Simon Vinkenoog and the artists Rik van Bentum and Theo Niermeyer
Growing interest in banality and mass-culture . Manifesto: "PROPOSITIONS FOR A APROPORTIONAL ART " (1964), and exhibition in Rotterdam at galery "Het Venster" : "Desorientation and adaptation to new space-concepts " (1965), shown in Galery Orez, The Hague. First visits to New York (1965)
1964- 1967 : curator Museum Kröller-Müller , Otterlo .Organizing several exhibitions : e.a "TOWARDS A NEW ABSTRACTION" (1966) and writing for the Art Magazine "HET MUSEUM JOURNAAL " Contributions to the Art Magazine "DE KRONIEK VAN KUNST EN KULTUUR".
1964-1970 : Minimal Contructivism. Represented by Galery Swart in Amsterdam .Publication of the portfolio "Four space-volumes" (1966). First exhibition in the "Stedelijk Museum" in Amsterdam : ATELIER IV , 1966.
1967-1969 : working in New York .Isometric spacevolumes on plexiglass(1966-68). Back in the Netherlands:Light and space-traps(1969-1970) ;Spacereflectors(1972),shown at Galery Swart .

The seventies

1970-1987:assistent professor,Art History Department,University of Amsterdam , lecturing on modern art and organizing exhibitions with students.(e.a. kinetic artists from the Soviet Union; Zero on sea;Informal Art)
Coördinator Dutch section of the Paris Biënnale in 1972(Interventions)
Art-critic for "DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER".
1973-1979:involved in "DE APPEL",centre for Performance Art , founded by Wies Smals .Participating in the manifestation "WORKS AND WORDS" .Growing interest in the context of art .
Initiator of the Foundation CITY THOUGHTS and several collective projects :ART FOR THE MILLIONS(1979-1981) followed in the eighties by "DE KIJK VAN DE KUNSTENAAR"("The point of view of the artist"),(1984-1986) and "ETANT DONNEES"(1987-1988)

The eighties

1984-88: several contributions to projects of MAKKOM , Art-space in Amsterdam: e.a. HOLOS.
1984 : back to large scale painting , using acrylic in combination with unusual materials as epoxy etc. Represented by the Biederberg Galery in Amsterdam . Series of "FRAME SHAPES" .

The nineties

1991: a big retrospective was organised in the "STEDELIJK MUSEUM"in Amsterdam(At a slight angle to the universe")
1992:new studios in Antwerp and the south of France. Series of works in traditional oil painting : "Genderbender babys" ; "POST-PORNO ABSTRACTIONS" ( exhibition in the Enzo Agostini gallery in London , with publication .)
Curator of several exhibitions in ARTI , Amsterdam : e.a. "Beyond Performance";" More then Zero"
Editor and regular contributor of DE NIEUWE (publikaties),a dutch art magazine .

The new millennium

Towards a new space-age classicism.
2006 : Minimal line paintings : SENSUAL ABSTRACTIONS , exhibited in "De Branderij",Antwerp and ARTI , Amsterdam . Publication SENSUAL ABSTRACTION (introduction by Saskia Monshouwer)