4 decades of haute couture and textile art

Between the Muses and Mephistopheles

‘Is it the hand of God or the devil that wove the sky on a beautiful morning and placed the sun in it, shining over the waters?’ asked French chanteuse Barbara in her 1964 song 'Chapeau bas'. This is the question that preoccupies me in all my work: Is it the Muses who move me, or Mephistopheles who carries me away in a frenzied dance? Is it a blessing or a temptation?

In the retrospective exhibition MAIN DE DIEU—MAIN DE DIABLE, I will take you on a journey through more than four decades of my work: the haute couture, the tapestries, embroideries, and my wearable sculptures known as Sartorial Statues. Material stories that touch on the universal, inspired by literature, mythology and philosophy in a textile vision of the human experience.

Exclusive offerings, from atelier to home

This is the first time I have made my work available in this way. We have put together a series of exclusive rewards, including original design drawings, single edition Embroidery Art panels and unique home cushions from my Home Couture collection.

A patron's reward: host a monumental artwork

And for those wishing to make a grander gesture: there are three exclusive opportunities to have a monumental work of your choice on loan, either at home or in your company, after the exhibition. A valuable chance to enrich your private or professional surroundings with monumental, museum-quality works of art.

Est-ce la main de Dieu, Est-ce la main de Diable 

Qui a tissé le ciel De ce beau matin-là, 

Lui plantant dans le cœur Un morceau de soleil 

Qui se brise sur l'eau En mille éclats vermeils ?

Barbara - Chapeau Bas, 1964

40 years of wearable art and museum works

My work is a form of material storytelling. Imbued with Thomas Carlyle's vision of life as ‘…a living garment, woven and ever-a-weaving in the loom of time’, it unfolds at the nexus of haute couture and textile art: from the catwalk to wearable soft sculptures, and monumental embroidery pieces and tapestries, needle-felted by hand, in which nature, ritual and transformation are recurring themes.

Over the years, my work has found its way to haute couture shows in Paris, Antwerp, Düsseldorf, Berlin and even China, and to museums at home and abroad, including the Kunsthal Rotterdam, Palais de Tokyo in Paris, and the Panorama Mesdag and Kunstmuseum in The Hague. Couture and textile art also found their merged, singular expression in the theatre: operas in Saint Moritz, Switzerland, where I was given the invaluable opportunity to take on direction, scenography and costumes in a fusion of visual art, couture and the performing arts.



MAIN DE DIEU—MAIN DE DIABLE brings all of this together for the first time.

Merci et chapeau bas!

To realize this exhibition, an amount of €25,000 is needed. Your support, whether business or private, not only helps bring this retrospective to a wide audience, but also brings MAIN DE DIEU—MAIN DE DIABLE, like chansonnière Barbara’s “sun that shimmered over the waters,” to life in your own home. Is it the Muses, or is it Mephistopheles? Truly, I do not know, but for this beneficence, merci et chapeau bas!

Peter George d'Angelino Tap

OPTION 1

€ 100

signed and framed original design drawings

Support this project for €100 and receive a signed and framed, original design drawing.

OPTION 2

€ 250

single edition embroidery art panels

For €250, you will receive a unique embroidery art panel from the TipToe Collection, measuring 40 x 40 cm and worth €400.

OPTION 3

€ 500

unique Home Couture Cushions

Support this project for €500 and receive a unique embroidered home cushions, sized 70 x 70 cm, from my Home Couture collection.

• The work you select will be on loan to you for your preferred period after the exhibition.
• If you decide to purchase the work after this period, the full sponsorship amount will be deducted from the purchase price.
• The tapestries vary in size (average width 125-145 cm x height 250-300 cm).
• We will be happy to make the final choice together with you, in consultation and depending on availability.

• view all tapestries
• view all embroidery art panels
  

He is best known for his Sartorial Statues — wearable soft sculptures that bring haute couture to the realm of visual art — and monumental tapestries centred on themes such as nature, ritual, and transformation. His work reflects Thomas Carlyle's notion that life is "a living garment, woven and ever-a-weaving in the loom of time".

d'Angelino Tap's couture has been worn by piano duo Lucas & Arthur Jussen, pop artist Vangelis (longstanding collaborator with Boy George), conductor Nicholas Collon and writer and presenter Splinter Chabot, among others. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Kunstmuseum and Panorama Mesdag in The Hague, the Kunsthal in Rotterdam, and the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.

ALL ABOUT ART

Det Regts

In addition to her career as a lawyer, judge and councillor, Det Regts held various administrative roles in the cultural sector. Her passion for literature, music, theatre and visual arts inspired her dedication to organisations such as the Nationale Toneel theatre company and the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague. She has built up an extensive network and is also an avid art collector.

Saskia Groenewegen

Saskia Groenewegen is a historian who works as a director and supervisor in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. She is involved in museums, dance and theatre, and has been dedicated to art and cultural education for many years. A photographer herself, she organises exhibitions and showcased her series “Dode Beesten” (Dead Animals) at the Cages of Freedom art event