Almost a year ago, design historian Frederike Huygen (1956-2023) passed away. She was once the first curator of industrial design at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, and later wrote an impressive series of publications, including the reference books on Wim Crouwel and Jurriaan Schrofer.
A small group of befriended colleagues took the initiative to organize a study day and publication as a “monument to Frederike. On the warm Thursday afternoon of June 27, a sizeable gathering of some fifty, mostly veterans, gathered in a room of the Allard Pierson Museum to listen to personally-tinged lectures by Marjan Boot, Marga van Mechelen and Mienke Simon Thomas.
The first part of the afternoon was concluded by Thijs Asselbergs, once, like Huygen, editor of Items magazine, who presented the publication Frederike Huygen – memories of colleagues, beautifully edited by Lex Reitsma, to Frederike’s sisters and niece. After the break, Yassine Salihine, chief curator of Design Museum Den Bosch, gave a brief reflection on the design curatorship of the future.
Rounding off the afternoon, Timo de Rijk asked the interested audience how the valuable site designhistory.nl, the brainchild of Huygen, could be relaunched. During the closing drinks, initial ideas on this subject were already being worked out, including with representatives of the Wim Crouwel Institute.
Report by Timo de Rijk
Frederike Huygen – Memories of colleagues
This publication appears in a single edition of 300 copies and is distributed to members, patrons, interested parties and friends of Designgeschiedenis Nederland as a tribute to Frederike Huygen and in recognition of her contribution to the design history of the Netherlands.
Design and lithography: Lex Reitsma
Photo portrait cover: Jansje Klazinga
Printing: Pantheon Printers
Binding: Boekbinderij Voetelink
Photography: Dutch Design Daily
