From flyer to artwork
Five questions for Lars
His collecting journey began with a flyer from Bitterzoet in De 9 Straatjes and grew into a personal world filled with Parra, design furniture, and a sense of future funky nostalgia. Lars talks about his first acquisition, how art and interior design complement each other, and which sneakers have earned just as permanent a place as his artworks. He answered five questions about his unique home collection.
Collection #2
Lars, artist #Snars en collector
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Artists Jean Jullien, Piet Parra, Home Studyo, Shepard Fairey, Takashi Murakami, Kaws, Delta
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Movements Contemporary, Retro
↘ Can you take us back to the moment you bought your very first artwork? What attracted you to it, and how did it feel?
My first encounter with art had a long lead-up. The work that eventually inspired me started appearing around me more and more. It was bold and distinctive, and its accessibility was exactly what drew me in. I’m talking about the artist Piet Parra.
My first ‘piece’ by him wasn’t something I bought, but something I picked up at a vintage store called De Zipper, in De 9 Straatjes. At the time, many shops had racks filled with flyers promoting parties and concerts. In one of those racks, I spotted a striking calendar flyer from the nightclub Bitterzoet.
What caught my attention were the colors and the mix of typography and imagery. On one side of the flyer was an artwork by Piet Parra, on the other side a calendar with that month’s program. From that moment on, I would stop by De Zipper every month to pick up one of those unique calendar flyers.
Alongside flyers, I started collecting posters featuring Parra’s work. Around that time, he also began creating clothing and art objects — which I naturally started collecting as well.
Takashi Murakami
Pop Trading Company
Dick Bruna
Piet Parra
Decks
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Shepard Fairey
Obey
↘ Is there an artwork in your collection that you could never part with? What makes it so special to you?
Every piece tells a story or creates a certain connection. For me, that’s not a painting or a screen print, but a sneaker that I bought with my own money in Amsterdam. That was around 2003, when I was 16 years old.
At the time, the internet was still fairly new and you could download images from Google. My cousin and I came across a pair of Jordans we really wanted. Looking back, they turned out to be the Jordan IV Military Blue. With that image in hand, we headed into the city.
Back then, there were only a handful of sneaker stores in Amsterdam. We asked around where to find Jordans and soon discovered they were available at Kings Amsterdam on the Nieuwendijk — a store that unfortunately no longer exists.
The first time we walked in, we saw a wall full of New Era caps and, opposite it, a wall filled with Jordan sneakers. For two boys from ’t Gooi, it felt like a candy store. In the end, we both bought a pair.
I still have that pair at home and will never let it go. For me, this marked the beginning of discovering my own identity in clothing, streetwear, and eventually art.
“Artworks shouldn’t just ‘vibe’ with each other — they also need to match the interior.”
Piet Parra
Give-up
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Drinking the Drinks
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Delta
Patta
↘ How does art influence your daily life? Does your home feel like your own personal museum, and if so, what does that mean to you?
Art definitely influences my daily life. Besides collecting, I’m also an artist myself under the name Snars. I’m always looking for ways to improve as an artist, while also staying up to date with what’s happening in the art world. That’s why I try to follow as many artist releases as possible and pay close attention to how others present and promote their work.
My home feels like a personal museum that I carefully curate down to the smallest detail. I see art as a reflection of who I am. When people visit my home, they should immediately feel that it’s a ‘Lars home’.
The artworks I own share a similar aesthetic and are, oddly enough, perfectly aligned. The colors and playfulness come together to form a harmonious whole. The works shouldn’t just ‘vibe’ with each other — they also need to match the interior.
I combine my art with vintage space-age furniture that complements the shapes and atmosphere of the works. The furniture and artworks seem to operate on the same frequency. I try to pair each piece of furniture with a corresponding artwork.
↘ What determines whether an artwork fits into your collection or interior? Is it intuitive, or do you follow a certain vision?
I believe a home should be balanced. That’s why many of my artworks and furniture pieces relate to each other. They often feature rounded, minimalist shapes, and a similar color palette appears across both.
I try to align everything as closely as possible. Even though they are different objects, together they form one cohesive whole. I would describe my style as “future funky vintage nostalgia.”
Kaws
Cookie monster
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Jean Jullien
PotPot
Knit Cushions
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Home Studyo
Planter, Pierre
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Bait
Astro boy
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Human Made
Tiger face
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Piet Parra
Pear lamp
Peper lamp
Ironica
“I would describe my style as future funky vintage nostalgia.”
↘ If you could borrow one artwork from another (private) collection to hang in your home, what would it be and why?
If I could choose one artwork, it would be the KAWS painting featuring the Simpsons family portrait. The work is so absurd — the artist plays with childlike figures and the theme of death.
The way KAWS brings these two worlds together into an aesthetic and playful image is something I really admire. What I find especially impressive is how recognizable his signature style always remains.
The colors and shapes KAWS uses also align well with the furniture and other artworks in my collection.
Snars
Totem
↘ Bonus question: How do you see the future of your collection? Is it something you’d ever want to pass on, exhibit, or will it always remain private?
I see the future of my collection as a continuation in the same direction, adding works that fit within this style. I’ve also started incorporating my own work — pieces I create as an artist — and increasingly giving them a place within my own interior.
The most important thing is that it makes me happy. It has to reflect who I am and fit naturally within my home. At the same time, I’m currently not living in a very large space, so I’m reaching my limits in terms of how many artworks and design pieces I can accommodate.
In the future, I would love to open up my home or document it visually, so people can find inspiration in how vintage furniture can be combined with contemporary art. My goal is to create a unique world of furniture and art — a space that people can experience and visit.
← Terug naar collecties
Do you have an art collection to share?
The Rijks, MoMA and Moco: all incredibly impressive. But are they really the largest art collections? Probably not. The biggest collection lives in people’s homes, often right above the sofa. With five questions in hand, I step inside the spaces of collectors, designers and artists. Get inspired by their collections, the stories behind them, and discover new (contemporary) movements and artists.
I’m Marcel. Do you have a collection to share, or just feel like having a good conversation? Get in touch. Together, we form in—art—out the largest art collection in the Netherlands… and maybe even beyond.
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