Madelon Vriesendorp | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1945 (age 79–80) Bilthoven, Holland |
| Occupation(s) | Artist, Illustrator |
| Spouse | Rem Koolhaas (?–2012) |
| Children | 2 |
Madelon Vriesendorp (born 1945 inBilthoven) is aDutch artist, painter, sculptor and art collector.[1] She was married toRem Koolhaas and best known as one of the co-founders of theOffice of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in the early 1970s (together with Koolhaas andElia Zenghelis andZoe Zenghelis). Vriesendorp would often create visuals and graphics for OMA in the early years.
Vriesendorp was born 1945, Bilthoven, Netherlands. She attendedRietveld Academy in Amsterdam in 1964.[2] In 1969, she attended classes atSt. Martin’s School of Art in London.[2]
For many years Vriesendorp contributed to Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) by providing graphics and illustrations for the publications of their theoretical concepts.[2] Her painting "Flagrant Delit" (English: Flagrant Crime) (1978) is recognizable and was used as the cover image forDelirious New York, written by Rem Koolhaas and first published in 1978.[2][3][4] Flagrant Delit features theEmpire State building and theChrysler building of New York City,post coitus in bed together while outside the window an armless version of theStatue of Liberty looks sad.[4] Vriesendorp noted that both buildings were built in the 1930s in New York City and were competing to be the tallest in the skyline, however the Empire State building appeared more masculine when compared to the Chrysler building.[5] Koolhaas suggested she add in theRockefeller Center catching the two buildings in the act, as a reference toModernity.[5]
Her largest artwork was amural (1987–2015) on the stage tower of theNetherlands Dance Theatre inThe Hague, however in 2015 the building and the mural was demolished.[6]
The World of Madelon Vriesendorp: Paintings/Postcards/Objects/Games was a 40-year retrospective exhibition of the artist's career, curated byShumon Basar andStephan Trüby. It originated at theArchitectural Association School of Architecture, London in 2008, and then toured to Aedes, Berlin; theVenice Biennale of Architecture; and finally theSwiss Architecture Museum, Basel. It was accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue, and had contributions fromBeatriz Colomina,Douglas Coupland,Hubert Damisch, Teri Wehn-Damisch,Zaha Hadid,Charles Jencks, Charlie Koolhaas,Hans Ulrich Obrist, Brett Steele and Fenna Haakma Wagenaar.[7]
In 2018, she was awardedThe Architectural Review, Ada Louise Huxtable Prize for her contributions to the architectural industry.[1] Her acceptance speech for the award was political and talked about the "women written out of the script", because for many years Vriesendorps contributions to Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) were not acknowledged.[1][8]
Vriesendorp lives in London and has two children, Charlie Koolhaas, a photographer, and Tomas Koolhaas, a filmmaker. She was previously married toRem Koolhaas, they divorced in 2012.[1][9]
Vriesendorp's work is held in the following permanent collections:
Koolhaas and Blaisse have been together since 1986—not living together, she notes, "but having a life together." Three years ago, they began sharing an apartment. Two years later, he obtained a divorce from Madelon Vriesendorp, an artist who is the mother of his two children.
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