Art Textiles of the World: The Netherlands

Editor Dery Timmer

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Dery Timmer, an artist and journalist, here presents ten typical Dutch artists whose works display transparency, clarity and accuracy.

Review

The textile artist, fashion designer and journalist, Dery Timmer, had the difficult task of selecting a very few of the many internationally known Dutch textile artists for publication in this book. Following the style of this book series, of which this is the 6th volume, she places emphasis on "conceptual" pieces by 10 female artists: Marian Bijlenga, Nel Linssen, Marian Smit, Wilma Kuil, Karola Pezarro, Marijke Arp, Sonja Besselink, Maryan Geluk, Hil Driessen and Ella Koopman. The desire for transparency, clarity and precision is considered a particularly Dutch trait, according to the editor who attributes these characteristics in large measures to her protagonists. Born between 1935 and 1963 and therefore representative of two generations of artists, they all graduated from art and design studios at Dutch academies - except for one self-taught person - and have exhibited not only nationally but also abroad, many of them frequently.
The book devotes several pages to each artist, with illustrations of selected works and texts on their work and life, written by the artists themselves. But their contact addresses are not included.
Both the choice of artists and the illustrated work create interest in the Dutch textile art scene. Included are examples of contemporary interpretations of jewellery, lace and fabric manipulations, as well as small textile sculptures and extravagant performance installations.
The new publication was accompanied by a touring exhibition, which opened at the Rijswijk Museum (see TF 3/01, pp. 34/35), travels to the City Art Gallery in Edinburgh and finishes at the International Contemporary Textile Art Centre in Kyoto.

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