Cornelia (Corrie) van der Baan  (1915 - 1997)

Obscured illustrator and free creating artist represented with a water colour showing the beach in Tel Aviv as seen in her 1960 visit. The painting is possibly of some historic importance. 60 years later it is today the location of the Tel Aviv Hilton Hotel and before, this was the place were Israels first defence force, the Haganah, trained. The olive trees drawing was created in the same trip. Both works probably belonged to the artist’s private estate. 


Researching to compose her short biography to my surprise it appeared she’d lived in the village of Kortenhoef, the home (artist village) of my favourite Dutch printmaker Louis Haver whose prints (and blocks !) I’ve collected to near completion. 


A second surprise was to discover (from a 1974 leaflet of an exhibition glued to the back cover of the olive trees, she designed in 1955 the iconic and still used logo at the entrances of all public footpaths in the estates owned and maintained by dutch preservation organisation “Natuurmonumenten” (Dutch equivalent of British National Trust), founded in 1905.

A tribute to a forgotten designer who’s original design is known by 95% of the Dutch people. Even 3 generations later !    

gerbrandcaspers@icloud.com