Charlotte Dematons’ colourful, fairytale drawings, full of comic detail and multiple layers of meaning, are getting double the attention this fall: Stedelijk Museum Zutphen & Museum Henriette Polak present two special interactive exhibitions, both starting October 5. An overview of the award-winning illustrator’s oeuvre can be seen in the exhibition Ga je mee..? (‘Are you coming…?’) until March 2nd, 2025. The Sinterklaas exhibit Oh kom er eens kijken (‘Oh, come and see’) – inspired by Dematons’ book Sinterklaas (2023) – will be on display until 8 December 2024. During the exhibit, you can wander through the Pieten (Pete’s) rooms and of course Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) has his own little chamber as well…
Charlotte Dematons
The colourful, detailed work of Charlotte Dematons (born 1957 in Evreux, France) is instantly recognisable. Her innate sense of humour radiates from every page. She has been illustrating books and magazines for various publishers since 1982. Popular children’s books by Paul Biegel and Dolf Verroen, as well as Grimm’s fairy tales, have been brought to life by her illustrations. Her drawings and books have won several awards. Her Sinterklaas book (2007) was awarded Het Gouden Penseel (The Golden Paintbrush). Last year, Dematons released a new version of the book in which the Pieten are ‘in charge’. The Pieten in her book reflect the wide range of colours, characters and types of people our world has to offer. Dematons’ book Alfabet (2020) was a huge success from day one, it was the first children’s book to go platinum (150,000 sold). The Stedelijk Museum Zutphen & the Museum Henriette Polak are delighted to provide a stage for Charlotte Dematons beautiful illustrations.
Ga je mee…? (‘Are you coming…?’)
In Ga je mee…? visitors step into Dematons’ studio. They discover who she is, how she works and have the opportunity to wander through her familiar illustration books. The exhibition includes original prints – that are painted using a one-haired brush – awards, films, models and the books Alfabet (2020), Nederland (Holland, 2012) and De Gele Ballon (The Yellow Balloon, 2003). Visitors will recognise her signature bird’s eye view, but we also get to see her world frontally and from a frog’s perspective.
Visitors are invited to explore and participate. They can, for example, work on a mural that Charlotte is making especially for the exhibition. The exhibition is a wonderful experience for people of all ages.
Oh, kom er eens kijken (‘Oh, come and see’)
Dematons book Sinterklaas (2023) inspired the Oh, kom er eens kijken exhibition. In the book, each Piet has their own recognisable room in the Pietenflat, showing their hobbies and paintings on the wall. The exhibition will also be a collection of Pieten rooms, with the art and heritage objects in the room telling you who’s room you are in. Of course, Sinterklaas also has his own chamber. ‘Combining the museum collections with an experiential world which is recognisable to children creates an accessible way to get in touch with the world of art and heritage’, says one of the project managers, Marieke de Jongh. The visitor’s senses are also stimulated by means of, for example, the scent of speculaas, Sinterklaas songs and tactile elements, making a visit to Oh, kom er eens kijken an engaging experience. For the fragrances, the museum works with fragrance manufacturer International Flavors & Fragrances, which was established in 1958 from a merger of two companies: Van Ameringen-Haebler and Polak & Schwarz, of which Henriette Polak-Schwarz was a co-owner.
Looking more closely
The exhibitions are designed from an educational perspective. ‘A shared objective of the museums and the artist is: “teaching children how to look more intently”, Francine Oonk, another project manager, explains. Dematons’ illustrations are often search-and-find pictures in which you discover something new every time you look at them. The interactive elements and tasks in the exhibitions also help you to take a closer look at the collection.