Description

The name Marzee represents several intertwined identities. At its heart is Marie-José van den Hout (known as Marzee) whose drive and passion keeps inspiring generations of artists worldwide. She is the quiet catalyst shaping the world of contemporary art jewellery. Then there is Galerie Marzee, an institution defined by its rich history, iconic architecture, and celebrated programming. Finally, there is the Marzee Collection – her personal private assembly of over 2,500 objects that trace the evolution of both the founder and her gallery.
Featuring a foreword by Petra Hölscher, chapters by Susan Cummins, Flos Wildschut, and Lizzie Atkins, and photography by Michiel Heffels, this book chronicles the person, the gallery, and the collection. In 1978, Marie-José opened the original Galerie Marzee in a former butcher’s shop in Nijmegen; today, the gallery resides in a masterfully renovated grain warehouse overlooking the river Waal. Reflecting the powerful minimalism of its physical space, MARZEE the book showcases over 330 pieces from the collection, selected and arranged by Marie-José van den Hout.

INDEX
page 6 VISITING GALERIE MARZEE
page 36 FOREWORD – Petra Hölscher
page 40 MARZEE COLLECTION PART ONE
page 108 THE MARZEE COLLECTION – Susan Cummins
page 122 MARZEE COLLECTION PART TWO
page 150 A HISTORY OF GALERIE MARZEE, 1978 – 1995 – Flos Wildschut
page 178 MARZEE COLLECTION PART THREE
page 196 BECOMING GALERIE MARZEE, 1995 – 2025 – Lizzie Atkins
page 222 MARZEE COLLECTION PART FOUR
page 237 MARZEE COLLECTION: LIST OF ILLUSTRATED WORKS

from the foreword by Petra Hölscher:

[…]

When we finally arrived in Nijmegen, at Lage Markt No. 3, the first thing was to look for a
parking space, and as we did so the glass and steel front of the gallery extension facing
the street immediately caught our eye. We then stood a bit lost in front of the high, metal
entrance door until it was opened from the inside. Visitors to the gallery will be familiar
with the effort it takes to turn the wheel-like doorknob reminiscent of old, heavy safe
doors.

[…]

Marie-José has made and is still making a huge contribution to the history of studio jewellery
– not only in the Netherlands but also and especially internationally. When I was
asked if I would like to contribute to this book, I very spontaneously said yes. Anyone who
knows me a little knows that I don’t do that very often, especially when there’s the risk
that my private and professional lives might get mixed up. But I was happy to make this
exception for Marie-José. We both share the desire to create and to do something. Each
in her own way, each in her own field. And yet, in the end, often together. That kind of
collaboration doesn’t happen very often. It’s about as rare as a love of salty caramel
in very dark chocolate. But then again, that’s a whole other story that Marie-José and
I also share …

from the text by Susan Cummins:

The Marzee Collection is a history, of jewellery created by jewellers with an artist’s point
of view from the 1970s until the present. It is also a history of Galerie Marzee, and of the
way Marie-José has interacted with contemporary jewellery over the past six decades. It
is rich and full and fascinating. It is rare for a gallerist to make a collection as large as
this one, and very rare for them to commit to having it permanently on display. It is almost
as if Marie-José has created a museum inside her gallery.
Although many gallerists collect things from their exhibitions and the artists they represent,
very few form a collection for public viewing. So why did Marie-José do this? When
asked directly, she says that it just happened. […]