Anton Pieck in Haarlem

Our first day in the Netherlands meant a visit to Efteling, the wonderfully magical theme park near Tilburg in the south of the country. Efteling is a fantasy feast for both adults and children with beautifully constructed themed buildings incorporating tame to hell raising rides which delight everyone.



A few days later we found ourselves at the Anton Pieck exhibition in Haarlem being held until the end of August in the characterful de Hallen Gallery in the middle of town. Anton Pieck was in fact the main visionary for Efteling which opened in 1952 and this is clearly shown in his nostalgic and intricate artwork. Pieck lived from 1895 - 1987 and aside from the enormous feat of designing and turning the Eflteling dream into a modern day reality much of his artwork involved illustrative pieces for fairytale books. He also produced paintings from his European travels including scenes from Harpenden (near St Albans), London and Oxford.



We were also delighted to come across the work of English architectural artist David Mach
in Haarlem. A giant submarine made from over 6000 car tyres entitled Size Doesn't Matter.