SikkensFoundation

Sikkens Prize

1995 JAN DIBBETS — For his designs for stained glass windows for the cathe- dral in Blois and the Sint Gertrudis Church in Wijlre, which, like his free work, concentrates on the controlled balance between form and background – in this case: light. — This year, the prize was also awarded to the artist Jan Dibbets. Dibbets was awarded the prize for a different special element in his work: stained glass windows. In these the color and light were direct points of contact for the Sikkens Prize. In the first place, the prize was for his designs for 32 windows in the cathedral of Blois, com- missioned by the mayor Jack Lang, formerly the French Minister of Culture, and secondly, for his eight windows in the parish church dedicated to Sint Gertrudis in Wijlre, Limburg. There is no doubt that Jo Eyck, a member of the board of directors of the Sikkens Prize and art collec- tor, was behind this commission. Dibbets had been nomi- nated before, but it was decided to wait until the designs for the windows were completed and the commission was a certainty. This was now the case. Dibbets is awarded the prize on 13 May in the recently opened Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht. According to the board of directors of the Sikkens Foundation: “The artistic experience and formal intelligence of a mature ar- tist resulted in windows of exceptional beauty which can serve as a real inspiration for the time-honoured antique art of stained glass windows”. Tracy Metz recorded an in- terview with Dibbets entitled “Choosing the right colour is just like finding the right word for a poem”, published by the Sikkens Foundation to accompany the prize and de- signed by Rutger Fuchs. Back to index Download text as pdf