Street Art Cities

Hugo Kaagman (b. 1955, Haarlem) is known as the Dutch stencil king. As early as the late 1970s, Kaagman was making stencils (a technique now widely used in street art) as a politically active artist. Kaagman was a pioneer in this field. In the 1980s when the streets of Amsterdam were filled with graffiti, Kaagman developed a unique and recognizable style that we still see in his work. His work is thoughtful, creative, playful, humorous and very recognizable. He portrays the zeitgeist of society. Politics, reggae, Moorish motifs and Delftware are also a mix of influences on his work. A striking feature in his work is the “Kaagman motif. A motif that consists of a playful interplay of lines interspersed with figurative objects or signs.

In 1978 he first developed his art style called 'Delftware' which has become his trademark since the early 1990s. Kaagman combines Old Dutch Delftware with contemporary symbols to provide his own perspective on today's society. This unique style is widely appreciated. For example, Kaagman has painted British Airways airplane tails with it. Hugo Kaagman is a highly respected and recognized artist. His work can be found all over the world. In the Netherlands, streets, buildings and walls are provided by Kaagman with qualitative aesthetic representations that also contain a good dose of humor. Reflection to current society, important characters and the environment of the artwork is therefore not excluded. Kaagman's work is exhibited worldwide and is included in the collection of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Museum, among others.

On this wall you will see a large Delft blue mural, created by street artist Hugo Kaagman at the request of the municipality of Delft. Since 2013, the wall of the Markt 20/22 building in the Bonte Ossteeg has featured all kinds of typical Delft scenes, such as Johannes Vermeer and Hugo de Groot. Besides these typical things, funny elements can also be seen, such as scantily clad women, a frog, Donald Duck's lamp and a nose-picker with a punk haircut.