Pyramid of Makkum
Jurgen Bey
Royal Tichelaar Makkum
Jurgen Bey
Royal Tichelaar Makkum
Dutch designer Jurgen Bey created a highly complex Pyramid. The work can be displayed in two ways, as a cohesive vertical "pyramid" of stacked buckets, or when disassembled and arranged in their accompanying crates as cabinet filled with individual curiosities. It is a remarkable well thought our and well engineered work of art. The use of "buckets" are meant to allude to the lowered status of the vase in contemporary culture. In the time when the "Traditional Pyramid" was created a vase was a highly sought after and prized item while in today's age of mass production the vase is commonplace, nothing more than a vessel. The surfaces of the buckets are filled with reliefs and detail of symbols of communication. We see sign language, satellites, number sequences and brail. Methods of communication provide us with a conduit or bridge for the mixing of cultures such as that which was the catalyst for the "Traditional Flower Pyramid" in its day.
Commissioned by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, to repair their late 17th century Delft flower pyramid – an exuberant, monumental multiple-flower Delftware vase created in response to Europe’s ‘tulip mania’ – Koninkliijke Tichelaar Makkum, the renowned 16th century Dutch manufactory, spent years researching the long-lost techniques necessary to re-create such a massive and highly ornamental composition. Inspired by that research, and committed to re-applying their invaluable new knowledge and expertise, Managing Director Jan Tichelaar commissioned four leading Dutch artists – Hella Jongerius, Studio Job, Jurgen Bey, and Alexander van Slobbe – to create contemporary flower Pyramids on the same scale as their ancient counterparts, using the original faïence technique. In addition to these contemporary works, the manufactory has re-created the ancient Rijksmuseum Pyramid. Each of the four contemporary-artist Pyramids are produced in a limited edition of seven examples; the ancient Pyramid is produced in a limited edition of one hundred examples.
The Pyramid of Makkum by Jurgen Bey is in the permanent collection of the Zuiderzee Museum in the Netherlands and was part of the Telling Tales exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 2009.
Complete Suite of Pyramids of Makkum
Inquiries: info@moss-gallery.com
Commissioned by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, to repair their late 17th century Delft flower pyramid – an exuberant, monumental multiple-flower Delftware vase created in response to Europe’s ‘tulip mania’ – Koninkliijke Tichelaar Makkum, the renowned 16th century Dutch manufactory, spent years researching the long-lost techniques necessary to re-create such a massive and highly ornamental composition. Inspired by that research, and committed to re-applying their invaluable new knowledge and expertise, Managing Director Jan Tichelaar commissioned four leading Dutch artists – Hella Jongerius, Studio Job, Jurgen Bey, and Alexander van Slobbe – to create contemporary flower Pyramids on the same scale as their ancient counterparts, using the original faïence technique. In addition to these contemporary works, the manufactory has re-created the ancient Rijksmuseum Pyramid. Each of the four contemporary-artist Pyramids are produced in a limited edition of seven examples; the ancient Pyramid is produced in a limited edition of one hundred examples.
The Pyramid of Makkum by Jurgen Bey is in the permanent collection of the Zuiderzee Museum in the Netherlands and was part of the Telling Tales exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 2009.
Complete Suite of Pyramids of Makkum
Inquiries: info@moss-gallery.com
