Bas Jan Ader

Bas Jan Ader
Bas Jan Ader at his MFA exhibition Implosion, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California, 1967.
Born	19 April 1942 Winschoten, Netherlands
Disappeared	1975 North Atlantic Ocean
Status	Presumed dead
Nationality	Dutch
Education	Claremont Graduate University Otis College of Art and Design
Known for	Photography, film, video, performance and installation
Notable work	I'm too sad to tell you
Movement	Conceptual art
Spouse(s)	Mary Sue Ader-Anderson

Bastiaan Johan Christiaan "Bas Jan" Ader (born 19 April 1942 – disappeared 1975) was a Dutch conceptual artist, performance artist, photographer and filmmaker. He had lived in Los Angeles, California for the last twelve years of his life. His work was in many instances presented as photographs and film of his performances. He made performative installations, including Please Don't Leave Me (1969).

Ader was lost at sea in 1975, attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean from the US to England in the smallest boat ever. His deserted vessel was found off the coast of Ireland on 18 April 1976, offering few clues as to his fate.

Born on 19 April 1942, Ader grew up in Drieborg, northern Netherlands. His father, Bastiaan Jan Ader and his mother Johanna Adriana Ader-Appels were both Calvinist ministers. His father was executed in 1944 by the Nazi's for his large scale endeavors to help Jewish compatriots to escape the Holocaust.

During adolescence, Ader took art classes at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, and later in the United States during a study abroad program. Ader graduated from the Otis College of Art and Design in 1965 with a BFA, and from the Claremont Graduate University in 1967. After graduating, he taught at various institutions, including Mt. San Antonio College, Immaculate Heart College, and the University of California, Irvine.