Escher in The Palace will be looking in the mirror of M.C. Escher this summer. Escher’s world is a mirrored world – a game of repetition and reflection, looking and being amazed. His self-portraits in convex mirrors show the graphic artist himself in just such an alternative world. The reflections in natural scenes or small Italian streets betray Escher's love of the possibilities that reflections bring. This summer, you will experience Escher's fascination with reflections in Escher in The Palace. A fascination that continues to grip contemporary artists to this day.
Escher in The Palace is currently showing a special selection of ten portraits by Andy Warhol. This iconic American Pop Art artist shared his love for graphic arts with M.C. Escher. The screen printing technique that Warhol often chose, gave him the opportunity to make his work in editions, so that his art was available to as many people as possible. Escher also chose printmaking for the same reason: accessibility is of great importance to both artists. In addition, the work of both artists is characterised by principles such as reflection and repetition.
To celebrate The Hague Fashion Week, Escher in The Palace is organising the exhibition Looking With Your Hands, featuring fashion you can touch by Dutch-Curaçaoan designer Michelangelo Winklaar. Inspired by his visually impaired mother, Winklaar has developed an experimental exhibition in which he allows a wide audience, including blind and visually impaired visitors, to experience a fashion collection by touch as well. Whereas a fashion collection in a museum would ordinarily be not for touching, it is precisely the sense of touch that Winklaar is inviting the public to use.
This summer, Escher in The Palace welcomes the three-dimensional paper art objects of Dutch artist Annita Smit (b. 1966) between the work of M.C. Escher. Smit uses paper in a three-dimensional way in her intricate artworks, which are full of rhythm, movement and structure. For the objects in this exhibition Smit has used remnants of Bible production and old Bible paper. Her work is characterised by refinement, subtle colours and detailing. What appears from a distance to be one small world turns out to be composed of minuscule cut and coloured pieces of gossamer paper.
The most famous printmaker in the Netherlands is without a doubt M.C. Escher. His graphic art depicting optical illusions has earned him a unique place in both national and international art history. But he was not the only Dutch printmaker of importance in his time. The exhibition 'Graphic Grandeur: Escher and his Contemporaries' at Escher in The Palace highlights the graphic art of Escher's Dutch contemporaries.