Maria van Kesteren (1933), the grande dame of woodturning, actually does not like wood. She is bothered by the outward characteristics of the material, but needs it to create the shapes she desires. In addition, she is constrained by technique: a woodturner cannot escape the circle. For over forty years, Van Kesteren developed new variations within this functional limitation. Now at 85 years old, she is no longer physically able to create new works. The exhibition at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag is therefore a fitting tribute to an independent designer. The showcased pieces come from her own collection, private collections, and the generous donation that the museum received from the Stichting Altena Boswinkel Collection.
Van Kesteren, who has also designed forms in glass and ceramics, initially worked with tropical wood before using only Dutch wood species such as linden, maple, and elm. In her first wood sculptures – bowls and dishes that initially referred to a functional purpose – she clearly showed the wood pattern. But she quickly became tired of the material’s outward characteristics, as they distracted from what truly mattered to her: the form. In fact, the color and structure bothered her so much that she covered them up with thin layers of paint in somber hues such as steel grey, pitch black, or, as a tribute to Berlage, ochre yellow. This resulted in the material of her objects being barely recognizable.
www.ftn-books.com has the invitation for the above exhibition now available.
I learned something new today. Appreciate your work!