Text by Sandra van Beek

The life story of Dutch artist Jan J. Schoonhoven, known for his repetitive and geometrical reliefs of white paper, is hardly known. It is often assumed that he was self-taught, simply because he worked daily as a civil servant in The Hague. His life, however, is inextricably linked to Delft, where he was born and died. In this book, his artistic development, working methods and personal experiences are revisited in fascinating detail, based on those who knew him. The book is written by journalist and documentary film researcher Sandra van Beek. Made with a grant from the Mondriaan Fund, it stems from research for the film “Jan Schoonhoven, official 18977” (2005).