Henk Cornelissen – Gestructureerd Toeval

After a brilliant international design career, graphic designer Henk Cornelissen closed his studio at the end of 1987. A turning point, as it would turn out. He was only 46 at the time. From that moment on, in addition to teaching at the St. Joost Academy, Henk dedicated himself with iron discipline to creating work for which he alone set the parameters—no longer guided by a client’s brief. Always using the same paper size of 50 x 65 cm, he began producing graphic structures based on self-imposed rules and agreements. In doing so, he constantly challenged CHANCE, allowing something unexpected to occur within the structure.
Over the course of more than thirty-five years, he created over 750 works, executed with uncompromising and meticulous analogue precision. Sometimes, a single work would take as long as eleven years and nine days to complete.

The public and the museum world remain largely unaware of this body of work. Henk has seldom shared it publicly. In this monograph, Henk Cornelissen’s work is extensively presented. Authors from various backgrounds have been invited to respond to it: how does a mathematician see it, a philosopher, a cultural critic, a curator, a designer, a former student, a photographer?
To conclude, Henk joins interviewer Oscar Kocken in a search for the source and the WHY behind his drive and perseverance—his fascination with numbers and probabilities, and his profound connection to CHANCE.