In 2009, the TextielMuseum asked Leendert Masselink to design a series of tea towels. The set of three features a circle of gnomes ready to lend a helping hand.
Masselink produced the design for the exhibition ‘KRAAKHELDER | 100 jaar huishoudtextiel’ in 2010. The exhibition examined household textiles sold in the Netherlands from approximately 1900 to 2010. Since the 1990s, the museum has commissioned artists and designers to create and produce new designs in the TextielLab.
Masselink was invited to design a tea towel utilising traditional methods. After the exhibition, the tea towel went into production and was sold under the ‘by TextielMuseum’ label.
An illustrator and graphic designer, Masselink is the founder of the one-man studio illurama in Amsterdam. He works for a wide range of clients, including ABN AMRO, Municipality of Amsterdam, Shell, KLM, HEMA and Kunstbende, as well as developing his own independent projects. His work is characterised by a combination of hand-drawn and digital techniques.
