• Title: Cor Klaasen
  • Reference Code: IE/NIVAL CK
  • Level of Description: Collection
  • Creation Dates: 1960-1979
  • Extent And Medium: One archival box containing examples of graphic design work including 32 cardboard sleeves for vinyl records designed for Mercier Catholic Record Club, Mercier Press, Cork. Donated to the library by the artist's widow along with a binder containing copies of design materials and information on the artist.
  • Creators:
  • Repository: NIVAL

Scope and Content

Cor Klassen: 1926 - 1989.
Cor Klaasen moved to Dublin in 1956 where he began working for O’Kennedy Brindley Advertising. Klaasen was born in Amsterdam in 1926 and studied under Mart Stam, Wim Jaarsveld, John Niegeman and Piet Zimmeran at the Instituut voor Kunstnijverheids Onderwijs (IVKNO), now called Rietveld Academie. He taught typesetting and layout at IVKNO between 1945 and 1952. Klassen also worked in Switzerland as an illustrator between 1952 and 1956. During this time he attended a design course at the Kunstgewerbeschule Basel. The main body of Klassen’s work comprised of advertising for many leading Irish agencies of the time such as Donnellys, Lobitos, Helicon and C.J. Fallons. Klaasen had a thriving freelance practice including 170 book covers and 35 LP sleeves between 1958 and 1988. Klassen taught at the National College of Art and Design as well as Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology. The National Print Museum exhibited a selection of his linocut prints in 2004. This collection of covers for vinyl L.P. records for was donated to NIVAL by Klaasen’s wife, Tineke, in 2009. A scrapbook of documentation related to Klassen accompanied the donation which includes an inventory of Klassen’s work, a recollection of his years as a student and his thoughts on life and work (written in approx.1977), photocopies, prototypes and original copies of book covers, sketches, pamphlets, posters and greeting cards and photographs of Klassen.

Arrangement

Arranged to item level.