The blue fishvendor / Hugo Kaagman

Since 1989, Hugo Kaagman has concentrated on the heritage of his own country. His starting point is the history of the renowned delftware pottery. He implemented his tiles in his characteristic ‘airbrush’ technique. This mural displays stereotypical images from Dutch culture in refreshing combinations. Old and new windmills, traditional costumes, façades and tulips, depicted beside portraits of Queen Juliana, Willy Alberti (singer), Freek de Jonge (cabaret artist) and Kaagman himself. A Dutch beauty has not been omitted.

In his quest for the Dutch identity, Hugo Kaagman believes a new philosophy of life can also be found close to home. This expression upholds Dutch elements that were previously scorned. Initially, Kaagman’s work not short of irony, but nowadays his romanticization of the Old Dutch culture is increasingly sincere. In the corridor of this building we see ‘de laatste steen’ (the last stone), which states that Goossen Petersen, fish vendor, was the last occupant, in 1974. Due to his profession, the corridor was filled with all kinds and sizes of fish. Kaagman also makes an ironic acknowledgement of the logo of the State Lottery.

Kaagman created the installation for the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Zuiderzee Museum in 2008.