Diploma van de Maatschappij tot Bevordering der Bouwkunst voor een gevelwedstrijd after 1913

This is a certificate designed by Chris Lebeau, probably made with a printmaking technique. I see this looping, curling language, set within architectural lines and geometric patterns. The push and pull between ornamentation and structure are really interesting, and it’s all in black and white. You can tell that Lebeau was thinking about the relationship between text, design, and the act of recognition – imagining the emotional life of the person receiving the award. It seems like he wanted to offer something beautiful and enduring, not just a piece of paper. I wonder if he saw this as a chance to elevate the everyday, to bring art into a space that might otherwise be purely functional. I think all artists working today can be inspired by this desire to infuse meaning into the mundane. Lebeau’s work reminds us that we're all in an ongoing conversation, exchanging ideas across time.