Maria van Kesteren

Published on the occa­sion of Maria van Kesteren’s major retro­spec­tive at the Stedelijk Museum Amster­dam (1995 – 96), this bilin­gual cata­logue presents the work of one of the Nether­lands’ most cele­brated studio wood­turn­ers. Illus­trated through­out with color and black-and-white photographs, the book captures van Kesteren’s distinc­tive formal language — elegantly spare vessels and boxes where surface, volume, and propor­tion are in perfect harmony.

Van Kesteren (1933 – 2020) trained with master turner Henk van Trierum and estab­lished her own studio in 1960. Over a long and influ­en­tial career, she brought sculp­tural preci­sion and philo­soph­i­cal restraint to the lathe, working primar­ily in elm and other hard­woods. Her approach prior­i­tized form over grain, often stain­ing or paint­ing the wood to empha­size the object’s archi­tec­ture. Though best known for her wooden pieces, she also designed in glass and ceram­ics for Royal Leerdam and Konin­klijke Tichelaar Makkum.

This volume includes biograph­i­cal and contex­tual essays, and docu­ments her contri­bu­tions to modern applied arts across multi­ple decades. Van Kesteren’s work is held in major collec­tions includ­ing the Victo­ria and Albert Museum (London), Museum Boij­mans van Beunin­gen (Rotter­dam), and the Centraal Museum (Utrecht).

A vital publi­ca­tion for collec­tors of contem­po­rary craft, modern Dutch design, and women artists in applied arts.