A small exhibition at HEDEN in Den Haag was held in 2009. On this occasion a special book ( like a Moleskine) was published by Piet Dirkx and HEDEN. edition of only 400 copies. This was the invitation for the opening of the exhibition.
Category: Geen categorie
Pierre Paulin ( 1927-2009 )
Pierre Paulin , French and a master of the organic shaped modern classics he designed over the decades. The Orange Slice is such a beautiful appelaking small chair . Still produced by Artifort and high on our personal wish list. But there are so many more designs by Paulin that have the status of Modern classics.
Pierre Paulin made a considerable impression with a contemporary shell fauteuil, at an international furniture show organised by Kho Liang le. Shortly after the show, he became a freelance designer for Artifort. This marked the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration. What makes his designs so distinctive is their striking sculptural shape, which earned Paulin many prizes worldwide. His work remains timeless and progressive even today. This is not form for form’s sake but applied design. With comfort as the constant starting-point. Artifort still includes many of Paulin’s designs dating from the nineteen-sixties and seventies in its permanent collection. His work can be admired in museums throughout the world. Apart from furniture, he also designed interiors for the French presidents Pompidou and Mitterrand in the Elysée Palace in Paris. Pierre Paulin died on 13 June 2009 in a hospital in Montpellier (France). The French president Sarkozy honored him as “the man who made design an art”. In November 2009, Paulin was posthumously awarded the distinction of “Royal Designer for Industry” (RDI).
www.ftn-books.com has a very nice publication on Pierre Paulin available.
Company design
People almost forget that every publication and every outing by a larger company has been designed by a designer. In the tine that i worked at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, i have witnessed that every director wanted a change in company style. It was a bit like the french presidents always want to erect a building to show the people in the country that he once was their president ( Pompidou, Mitterrand, Chirac they all had their building projects and are now remembered in the name of the building.
It was the same with the directors i worked with at the Gemeentemuseum. First there was Theo van Velzen who was very fond of Donald Janssen, followed by Henk Overduin who continued with Donald. After Henk Overduin the museum had Rudi Fuchs as a director. Fuchs trusted Walter Nikkels , but after a few month he decided for Gracia Lebbink as a designer and young and saspiring designers who had the “style’ he desired for the publications of the museum and i must admit, personally i think this period produced the best and most beautiful publications. Gracia continued to design some 8 years for the museum. In the time of some 20 years i had witnessed and worked with 4 designers and as many of 4 times every printed outing of the museum was redesigned. Posters, books, printing paper , entrance tickets, shopping bags every aspect of printing was designed agin with the coming of the new company style. It the meantinme i had also witnessed 3 name changes of the museum itself. To show some of the bags that were published over the time i show you the most famous plastic bags of the museum , which are both available at www.ftn-books.com
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Irina Popova (1986)
A blog on a contemporary artist who must have been inspired by her fellow countryman Boris Mikhailov and stirred the art world with het book on two Russian drug addicts “ANOTHER LIFE” But this is not the reason for this blog. I recently added a wonderful artistbook by Popova from 2013 to my inventory. An edition of only 80 , signed and numbered copies. This book is an absolute must for her admirers.
Irina Popova is Russian / Dutch photographer, writer and curator with special interest in the subjects of privacy, sincerity and marginality. She works with a combination of the mediums; non-linear multi-focal storytelling, internet & new media, books and installations.
Born in 1986 in Tver, Russia, Popova started to work as a journalist at the age of 16 in the local newspapers and magazines, and made photos for her articles. Since then, she has gained a remarkable reputation for her intimate collections of photo-stories.
Popova became scandalously famous for her project “Another Family”, where she told a personal story of a drug-addicted couple with a little daughter. The viewers questioned if the story was staged and also the future of the girl in these circumstances. Someone wrote to the police and the investigation started. The artist refused to give away the address of the family, so the family couldn’t be reached. Once more, this story raised questions about the professional ethics of photojournalism.
“If You Have a Secret” tells the stories of her native land, edited from thousands of images, and seven years of photographic life.
the artist book is available at www.ftn-books.com
Piet Dirkx weekly
For me personally one of the great publications of all time. Slipcase with artwork on the outside. Printed by Lecturis, edition of only 1000 copies , specially made for the Serpentine gallery exhibition in 1990. COLOUR ANONYMOUS is a classic.
Luciana Matalon (1937)
Perhaps the true importance of Luciana Matalon is that she initiated the founding of an art space in Milano as a platform for young aspiring artist to have their first exhibitions.
www.fondazionematalon.org
Luciana Matalon was born in the Veneto region but moved to Milan where she made her debut in 1968. As a multifaceted artist she dedicated herself to painting, scuplture and the creation of jewellery.
Her artstic studies took place mainly at Milan’s Accademia di Brera and during periods spent in a variety of foreign countries. Since 1966 she has taken part in numerous exhibitions and has organized her own in Europe, America and Japan.
In 2000 the artist set up a self-titled foundation in Milan, where she aspired to create a new museum space to become an international crossroads of new ideas and new artistic orientations. Moreover, since 2006 she has been promoting the Premio Beniamino Matalon per le Arti Visive (Beniamino Matalon Prize for Visual Arts), which has a duration of two years, with the aim of stimulating artists under the age of 35 to produce work that is meaningful and worthy, whilst supporting them in their path of artistic growth.
www.ftn-books.com has the 1981 Matalon catalogue for her EP galerie presentation available.
Günther Förg at the Gemeentemuseum in 2003
An important discovery among the many invitations i acquired recently. It is an original sketching by Förg for what presumably could be a wall drawing in one of the rooms of the Gemeentemuseum during and after his 2003 exhibition. In that time Förg was experimenting with loosely painted forms on canvas and walls.
On the painted paper sheet is the studio stamp of Günther Förg in Freiburg and the paper is devided into two parts. The upper part is painted with a deep green and handwritten the text Gemeentemuseum in blue ballpoint, underneath in pencil Den Haag 2003. Left of the green a text in blue ballpoint ” Moikan (?)” The lower part of the design/drawing/painting is in a “leather brown” color and in pencil beside “Israel” is written . On the lowest part of the sheet the studio stamp in black ink.
My educated guess is that this is a proposal for a wall drawing in one of the rooms of the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag and this highly collectable item is now available at www.ftn-books.com.
Jaroslawa Dankowa (1925-1999)
Dankowa has made more than 400 sculptures, but will always be remembered for her masterpiece ” het INDISCH MONUMENT” , erected at the Prof Teldersweg in Den Haag. She was chosen among many with her design of a group of famished people who mourn and grieve, with in the background bars to symbolize the occupancy of the Indonesian people during WWII.
The sculpture had to be finished before 1988 and it was because of this set date the pressure to finish and complete the sculpture was immense. While making the sculkpture she fell from a ladder, but despite breaking a hip during this fall, she finished in time and the sculpture has been since in the centre of the remembrance ceremony of the victims who were killed during WWII in Indonesia.
www.ftn-books.com has now a monograph on Dankowa available.
New Business Card FTN books & Art
Some recent changes made it necessary to translate these changes into a new business card. The most important one being two new email addresses. One personal one and the other for the FTN books & Art contacts. So here is all the new business information to contact me and keep track of my activities, the daily blog and additions to my inventory.
Wilfried van den Elshout / FTN books
Veursestraatweg 106c
2265CG Leidschendam, the Netherlands
new email : wilfriedvandenelshout@gmail.com
new email : ftnbooksandart@gmail.com
Till Hohn,(1945) Musician, artist, performer
Not many will have heard of Till Hohn, since he is mainly a local celebrity in Dusseldorf.
because he is known in the Dusseldorf region he has had his exhibitions and performances mainly in this region and one was held in the IM EHRENHOF venue in 1995. With the exhibition/Performance was a a small catalogue published which is now in high demand , because Hohn is such an artist who stays true to his believe in his chosen way in art . It is fascinating to see the development over the years and the scenery he builds for his performances is like an architectural sculpture.
The Till Hohn / Unser Dusseldorf soll schoner werden publication is now availabel at www.ftn-books.com
