From left to right: Nienke Sikkema, Josja Caecilia Schepman and Bernard Heesen in De Oude Horn, photo: Jurian den Besten

Bernard Heesen (1958) is one of the most important and influential glass artists in the Netherlands. This year he turns 65. To celebrate this occasion, the Museum of Glass Art in Amstelveen, Museum JAN, is hosting a festive exhibition of Heesen's own work and that of Nienke Sikkema (1988) and Josja Caecilia Schepman (1980). In addition to showcasing masterpieces from Heesen's oeuvre, Museum JAN will display recent, previously unexhibited work from all three artists.

Bernard Heesen

Within glass art, Bernard Heesen is considered an innovator who during the manufacturing process, when the glass is hot and liquid, likes to let chance contribute to the final result. ‘My artwork clearly shows the movement in the glass.’ He is one of the few glass artists who designs and executes his own work. He became famous, among other things, for his glass 'stones' and his pronounced series of Encyclopaedic creations.

De Oude Horn – generations in glass

In the De Oude Horn glassblowing studio in Acquoy, Bernard Heesen learned the craft of glassblowing from his famous father, Willem Heesen. At that time, De Oude Horn was already a place where many (inter)national glass artists and designers worked, including Lino Tagliapietra and Andries Copier. In 1995, his father retired and handed over control to his son. Since then, De Oude Horn has served as Bernard Heesen's workshop, but it also offers space to a new generation of glass artists.

Teaching the glass craft is a matter of great importance to Bernard Heesen. He for instance trained his assistants Nienke Sikkema and Josja Schepman to become independent glassblowers who mastered the craft in his workshop and developed their very own vision of glass art. This makes De Oude Horn one of the few places in the Netherlands where glass art is kept alive. De Oude Horn also has its own distinctive way of working and style that has been passed down through various generations of glass artists. For artists Sikkema and Schepman - just as for Heesen - 'playing with glass' forms the basis of their daily work. The glass should not be forced, but rather skilfully be guided, while making use of its possibilities. This results in very colourful and decorative designs in which the process of glassblowing is visible. 

Nienke Sikkema

For Sikkema, it is important that people recognize the pleasure with which she shapes her objects. She studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KABK) in The Hague after which she started working in De Oude Horn. She lets the glass drip and stacks, rolls, and sculpts it, resulting in playful shapes. Her colourful jewellery boxes with animal figures were made in collaboration with Bernard Heesen.

Josja Caecilia Schepman

Schepman studied free design at the Utrecht School of the Arts. After graduating in 2006, she started working at the De Oude Horn glass studio. She also worked as a glassblower for, among others, the National Glass Museum and Van Tetterode in Amsterdam. She has built up a versatile oeuvre with a characteristic personal style. She creates a distinct fantasy world that is home to wondrous creatures. Her work can also be seen in the collection of the Frans Hals Museum.