Wim Crouwel Modernist

2019

53min

Wim Crouwel (1928–2019) was a graphic designer and exhibition designer who, through his studio Total Design, changed the visual face of the Netherlands. His modernism found expression in posters and catalogues for the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, postage stamps, logos, and experimental work such as the computer typeface New Alphabet. As a student at the Rietveld Academy, documentary filmmaker Lex Reitsma became fascinated by the idiosyncratic Crouwel—not only because of his work, but also because of his personality. This documentary gives the old master a voice, interwoven with remarkable archival material and stories from family members, colleagues, admirers, and critics.