These ‘topologies’ are an alternative form of knowledge: a non-Euclidean system that functions within the realm of paradoxes, misunderstandings and contradictions. De Jong made a name for herself with the journal The Situationist Times: a multi-disciplinary, quirky publication packed with photographic and drawn images devoted to wide-ranging themes such as the knot, the ring and the labyrinth. From her initial encounters with artists like Germaine Richier and Vieira da Silva during adolescence, by virtue of her cosmopolitan parents who owned a notable collection of avant-garde art, to her participation in the Gruppe Spur and the International Situationists. Jacqueline de Jong operated within avant-garde networks in and outside of Europe in a quite unique fashion. The result is a fusion of masterpieces by De Jong and previously unseen works, juxtaposed with key artworks from the holdings of the Stedelijk, supplemented by the artist’s drawings, artist’s books, designs and archival material. Kitai, Kazimir Malevich and Wassily Kandinsky.
Like a true ‘Pinball Wizard’, the artist moves through the collection of the Stedelijk, placing her work alongside that of artists who are her inspiration and influence such as Vieira da Silva, Chaim Soutine, Jean Dubuffet, R.B. In light of which, the current exhibition-which presents her work in the company of artwork from the collection-is even more extraordinary. It not only deepens her admiration of the museum’s collection but, as an artist with no formal art education, serves as a training ground for her own work. When director Willem Sandberg appoints Jacqueline de Jong as an assistant in the applied art department (1958-1960), it signals the beginning of an extraordinary relationship between the artist and the Stedelijk. Courtesy Dürst Britt & Mayhew, The Hague (NL) / Château Shatto, Los Angeles (US). The 13 exhibition spaces feature a selection of key works by De Jong and works from the Stedelijk collection, together with previously unseen archival material. The show also highlights De Jong’s involvement in avant-garde networks inside and outside Europe, including the politically engaged Situationist International movement.
Her work also ranges in scale, from small diptychs that chronicle a day in the life of the artist, to monumental canvases dominated by an absurd and often violent and erotic world.
Pinball Wizard: The Work and Life of Jacqueline de Jong gives an overview of the historical development of this oeuvre in which she effortlessly switches between different styles: such as Abstract Expressionism, new figuration and Pop Art. Since the 1960s, the distinguished visual artist, designer and former employee of the Stedelijk Museum has evolved a versatile body of work.
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