This work is in the collection of the Nationaal Glasmuseum in Leerdam, The Netherlands.
Untitled, 2001.
About Melvin Anderson:
From St. Vincent to Aruba, Amsterdam and Milan. Melvin Anderson (Aruba 1944) has traveled the world for the sake of aesthetics.
Working for fashion houses around the globe from his Milan-based studio for fabrics design, Melvin Anderson built quite the name for himself. His sense of colours and textures as well as his ability to capture the zeitgeist enticed customers from the U.S.to Japan. A little over ten years ago, Anderson, feeling the need to gear his career into a new direction, accidentally moved on to glass, upon a friend’s suggestion to visit Murano.
The material has been a revelation to him. More than ever, Anderson’s designs exude his personality. Northern European clarity meets Italian warmth, traces of Africa mix with a longing for the Caribbean. Strong, rich colours and graphic lines appeal to -again- an international crowd of collectors, galleries, museums and design stores worldwide.
Passionately, he keeps working on providing his clients with commissioned series and his loyal fanbase with new and one of a kind pieces. Objects so desirable, you might be tempted to touch.
Opposites are omnipresent in the life and work of the artist. Hailing from the Caribbean, with roots in St. Vincent and Aruba, his studies made Melvin move to The Netherlands at a young age. When asked about his identity he states to be both European and Caribbean. This clearly shows in his works, ranging from natural and organic –possibly referring to his African heritage – to transparent objects, full of contrast and of near-architectonic or sculptural quality. Style references to fashion, design and a cosmopolitan life are found throughout his small collections of unique objects.
Opposites Attract unveils Melvin’s life story through these very objects. The fire serves as a starting point and a metaphore for his passion and inspiration. Drawn from it are works deriving their decorative appeal from burn marks. Their beauty lies in their imperfect shapes and warm colour palate from amber to mahogany and the deepest brown. An exuberant translation of Anderson’s previous life as a fabrics designer are his seductively shining and transparent works in black and white, presented in a metropolitan context and urban landscape, indicating all the places where his works found a new home with its avid collectors.
