Pippy Houldsworth Gallery – Jacqueline de Jong: 1984 - 1988: The Works on Paper

Private view: Thursday 20 January 6-8 pm

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. (Samuel Beckett)

Pippy Houldsworth Gallery is delighted to present Upstairs-Downstairs 1984-88: The Works on Paper a solo exhibition of previously unseen works by Jacqueline de Jong. This marks the first opportunity to see the complete group of the artist’s drawings related to her Upstairs-Downstairs paintings from the mid 1980’s, a series of works that is central to her wider oeuvre.

In 1985, de Jong was one of only 16 artists selected from 400 applicants to make work for the interior spaces of the new city hall in Amsterdam. The building had caused such controversy that it took over 60 years to come to fruition, but the final design by Wilhelm Holzbauer and Cees Dam was met with much acclaim, and City Hall was finally opened in 1988. De Jong was particularly interested by the central stairways and lobbies of this post-modern building, and subsequently made 27 paintings in response to these specific areas. The works remained in situ until parts of the building were demolished in 2017, after which they were acquired by the Amsterdam Museum.