Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen presents Johan Thorn Prikker: beyond Art Nouveau, on view until February 13 2011.
Johan Thorn Prikker was a rebel, a moralist and a hard worker. That makes his multifaceted oeuvre surprising, but not always easy. It consists of paintings, drawings, prints, textiles, furniture, monumental wall paintings, mosaics and stained-glass windows.
In the Netherlands Thorn Prikker (1868-1932) is known as one of the most interesting Symbolist painters, with ‘The Bride’ as one of his best works. In Germany, where he lived after 1904, he is known as a designer of stained glass windows and spectacular mosaics. His celebrated design The Harbour Industry (1918), intended for the City Hall in Rotterdam, dates from this later period. The acquisition of this large canvas in 1922 marked Museum Boymans’ beginnings as a museum of modern art.
The exhibition Johan Thorn Prikker – Beyond Art Nouveau follows the artist through the various cities where he lived and the changes in his work. It shows his continuous quest for an idiom and a suitable technique to visualise his ideals. Johan Thorn Prikker saw himself as an ‘art worker’ serving society. He wished to present his ideals through his work in the best and most beautiful manner.
Image: Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
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