PIET PARIS AT MUSEUM JAN
COLLABORATIONSILLUSTRATION, GLASSWARE AND FASHION
The exhibition Piet Paris et al. – Illustrations, Glass Art, and Fashion at Museum JAN in Amstelveen showcases the work of fashion illustrator Piet Paris. Paris, whose real name is Pieter ’t Hoen (born in 1962), presents new work that reflects on the unique glass art collection of Museum JAN and places his drawings in dialogue with fashion designs by leading Dutch fashion designers such as Viktor & Rolf, Claes Iversen, Ronald van der Kemp, and BENCHELLAL. Glass, drawings, and fashion are shown side by side and reveal the basic principles behind every Piet Paris drawing: form, color, and symmetry
Images by Eddy Wenting
PIET PARIS
Piet Paris, born in The Hague, studied at the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in Arnhem and graduated in 1988. In 1998, he was one of the co-founders of the Fashion Institute Arnhem master’s program. He still teaches drawing to fashion students at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. Piet Paris is best known for his illustrations with characteristic lines, bright colors, and female figures with slender silhouettes. His drawings have been published in various national and international newspapers and magazines such as Vogue and Elle for more than 30 years. From drawing catwalk looks to designing a catwalk decor for Victor & Rolf, Piet Paris is an integral part of the international fashion world.
DISPLAY
Paris is fascinated by “aesthetics” and “display.” Just like in his drawings, compositions and color combinations are crucial when presenting fashion and design. He designed illustrations, displays, and shop windows for the American department store Saks Fifth Avenue and was a curator of the Arnhem Fashion Biennale three times (in 2005, 2007, and 2009). With this unique perspective on display, curation, and illustration, he creates a special exhibition at Museum JAN. What do glass, drawings, and fashion have in common? Piet Paris dissects the designs and breaks them down into various core values including line, form, texture, but also “the soul.”
In addition to new and existing drawings by Piet Paris, this exhibition features fashion items from designers such as Viktor & Rolf, Claes Iversen, Spijkers & Spijkers, BENCHELLAL, G+N, Ronald van der Kemp, Loïs Brandsen, MARTAN, Dirk Vaessen, David Laport, Schepers Bosman, Stijn Koks, Bastiaan Thijssen, and DIED. The exhibition also showcases various (glass) artworks from the collection of Museum JAN, including works by Jan Verschoor, Aleš Vašícek, Stanislav Libensky, Willem Heesen, and Ritsue Mishima, which inspired Piet Paris to create new drawings. Fashion journalist, presenter, and author Fiona Hering, who is very familiar with Piet Paris, provides the exhibition texts.
MUSEUM JAN
Museum JAN is a museum in Amstelveen for contemporary art and design. The museum’s collection consists of unique glass objects collected by founder Jan van der Togt. He brought together top art from Dutch greats such as Andries Copier as well as avant-garde Czech glass artists Vaclav Cigler and Stanislav Libensky. In addition to this distinctive collection, Museum JAN offers a wide and engaging exhibition program.
