Title: Jan van Toorn
Location: Mermaid Theatre Puddle Dock Blackfriars London EC4V 3DB Tube: Blackfriars
Description: Jan van Toorn, born in Tiel, Netherlands in 1932, is one of the most significant and influential Dutch graphic designers to have emerged since the early 1960s.
He studied Graphic Design at the Amsterdam School of Printing from 1949 and from there the Institute of Arts and Crafts (now the Gerrit Rietveld Academie) until 1953.
The emotional charge in Van Toorn’s designs stems from his interest in investigating visual meaning and the social role of the profession. He focuses on substance rather than smooth stylistic expression and develops questioning alternatives to the usual design world conventions.
Projects such as his posters and catalogues for the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven and his long-running series of calendars for the printing firm Mart.Spruijt are powerful demonstrations of graphic design used as a means of commentary and as a form of critical practice. His highly original, actively engaged and often controversial body of work, poses a challenge to visual communication that remains relevant today.
His radical teaching and practice were highly influential on the younger generation of Dutch designers. He has taught for many years at various academies and universities in The Netherlands and abroad, including the Royal Academy for Art and Design. From 1991 until 1998 he was Director of the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht, transforming it into an international postgraduate centre for fine art, design and theory. He has been Associate Professor for the Graphic Design MA, Rhode Island School of Design, USA, since 1987.
Jan will be reviewing his career, showing work and bringing the discussion up to date with his current activities and ideas.
Start Time: 20:00
Date: 2009-03-19
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