MASTERLY THE HAGUE;
DUTCH DESIGN HONORS OLD MASTER PAINTERS
Holland is proud of its new art & design festival and I cannot wait fort he next edition to start!
Masterly The Hague was a huge success. The power of the concept, where more than 50 designers
created a custom design inspired by a historical painting and presented their art piece
on one of the best locations in The Hague, made visitors flabbergasted.
For those who had to miss this first edition, I made a compilation. Enjoy!
Journey through the Golden Age
The presentation started in the so called Royal View Room, with a stunning view on the Hofvijver and the Binnenhof, which used to be the residence of the Dutch princes Amalia van Solms, back in the 17th century. Her portrait and that of her husband prins Frederik Hendrik served like a muze for labels like Moooi, Viktor & Rolf and artist Carina Wagenaar.
Carina and I met in 2017 in the beautiful Palazzo Francesco Turati in Milan, during the Milan Design Week. Her medallion artworks which are all telling wonderful stories, fascinated me immediately. In this unique piece you can ‘read’ the heroic story of the successfull prince Frederik.
Still life as a decor for show pieces
In the next room I spotted a master painting of Abraham van Beijeren; a still life with extraordinary objects, exhibited on velvet. This elegant decor inspired Carina Riezebos, who presented some pieces of her Sparkling Objects collection.
This Carina I also met in Milan. Since 20110 she creates products of glass and chrystal. “I like to refer to the good things in life. Beauty and craftsmanship always have been of great value ever since I was a child. My love for materials and chrystal is just a part of who I am.”
Richness represented in jewelry and fabrics
Visitors were also treated by portrets of young, elegant ladies who showed their finest juwelry and most decorated fashion pieces. With this in mind, her Dutch royal highness princess Margarita de Bourbon de Parme created a special new juwelry piece. “I wanted to create a wearable piece wherein craft and sophistication could seamlessly blend. It is great to combine 17th Century art pieces with new Dutch design.”
Atelier Art of Blends made a limited collection of unique shawls, wherein past and future are mixed with various colors and styles. They not only give more expression to your daily outfit, but are also very applicable in your interior as an eclectic art piece.
I must pay tribute to curator Nicole Uniquole, appraisor Willem Jan Hoogsteder and to all the designers, who truly absorbed their muses and created stunning new designs. Until we meet again!
