Then Became Now: 50 years of Het Simplisties Verbond

Exploring Dutch Museums and Galleries

With my friend, I went to the exhibition celebrating “Toen werd nu: 50 years of Het Simplisties Verbond” at the Media Museum Beeld & Geluid in Hilversum, a beautiful building with colored glass. As I’ve grown older, I’ve developed an even deeper appreciation for Kees van Kooten and Wim de Bie’s work.

This popup exhibition brought back memories, smiles, and laughs. Their characters remain recognizable and timeless, even after all these years. Also, this creative duo added many words and phrases like ‘doemdenken,’ ‘regelneef,’ and ‘jemig de pemig’ to the Dutch language. I didn’t know that at all.

Jemig de pemig!