Under the aegis of His Excellency Mr Willem van Ee, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Bulgaria
and Mr Boiko Borisov, Mayor of Sofia
This exhibition offers for the first time a rich overview of the period between 1890-1990 – an epoch of dynamic development which can justly be defined as a “Golden Age” for Dutch graphic design. The unique artistic tradition, the numerous brilliant creative personalities, the extraordinary tolerance and responsiveness of both customers and viewers to the representation of innovation and non-standard thinking have all formed throughout those years a provoking, vital and temporally adequate aesthetics. It is namely that culture of tolerance and freedom of thought that have created in Holland favourable grounds for experimenting and establishing new forms of graphic communication which have left a permanent mark on graphic design up to now.
This exhibition shows over 200 works highlighting the utmost achievements of Dutch graphic design. One can find represented all styles characteristic of the epoch like Art Nouveau, De Stijl, Expressionism, Dutch Constructivism and Post-War Rationalism. There will be works on display by Jan Toorop, Bart van der Leck, Piet Zwart, Theo van Doesburg, Paul Schuitema, Willem Sandberg, Jan Bons, Jan van Toorn and others whose unique graphic legacy is the source of inspiration for the new generation of graphic designers.
Starting its journey from Bucharest and Sofia, in the course of one year the exhibition will be presented in most of the biggest European cities as well as in America. Each of the displays is going to be accompanied by an additional programme including lectures, workshops and other projects addressed to the youth and student audience and aimed at the broad exchange of creative experience among the European countries.
This exhibition is a project of Premsela, Dutch Platform for Design and Fashion and De Beyerd, Museum for Graphic Design. The exhibition is set up by Cees W. de Jong and Alston W. Purvis, authors of the book Dutch Graphic Design. An Epoch of Innovation. The exhibition design is contributed by the Dutch design company COMA. The exhibition has been made possible with the financial support of the Dutch Culture Programme, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the DutchMinistry of Education, Culture and Science.
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