Oxenaar exhibit in Museum for Communication, The Hague
The name may be unknown to foreigners, or even to the Dutch themselves, but the designs of Ootje Oxenaar are deeply familiar to any Dutch person over the age of 10. It was Oxenaar who designed the Dutch banknotes between 1966 and 1985.
Unlike the drab money used in most of the rest of the world his designs were extremely colourful. Where Oxenaar could go for aesthetics instead of respectability, it appears to have been mostly because the Dutch bank, after some initial run-ins, let him be just a designer.
In this video he talks about his relationship with the Dutch bank, rejected designs, and the many Easter eggs he put in his banknotes. The exhibition at the Museum for Communication in the Hague runs until 10 April, 2010. It focuses on both his money and stamp designs.
Oxenaar’s Euro note designs were rejected, but can still be found on the web. Oh, how I would have loved to have unicorns on our bills!
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(Source video: Youtube user spykeroles. Link: Bright)
I have long admired the bank notes and I’m pleased to have learned the backstory from the designer. AWESOME.
[…] See also: * Rules for trading in guilder bills (Dutch) * Oxenaar exhibit in Museum for Communication, The Hague […]
Oxenaar’s Dutch banknotes are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. What a pity their place is now taken by drab Euro notes!
[…] It can easily be said that Oxenaar contributed to making Dutch design famous around the world, with the Dutch banknotes he designed between 1966 and 1985. In 2009 Oxenaar exhibited at the Museum for Communication, The Hague. […]