10 euro – Piet Mondriaan

Piet Mondriaan is born on March 7th, 1872 in Amersfoort and grows up in a strict Calvinistic family. His father is a teacher and doesn’t want Piet Mondriaan to be an artist. Mondriaan starts education to be a drawing teacher, but he never let’s go of his only dream: being an artist. When he is 18 years old, he organizes an exhibition of his own work. In the beginning of his career, Mondriaan usually paints portraits and landscapes. Around his thirties, he starts to develop an interest in theosophy: this is a discipline that searches for the common core of science, philosophy and religion. This is where Mondriaan’s interest for geometric shapes evolves: he sees them as the base of everything, despite the fact they don’t show as such in nature. Mondriaan’s art slowly moves towards the abstract. His search for harmony and ‘absolute’ beauty by compositions of primary colors, horizontal and vertical lines and even color areas eventually is his breakthrough and make Piet Mondriaan a true pioneer of abstract art.

The Piet Mondriaan 10 Euro Coin is designed by Marjolein Rothman. The designer searched for the elementary translation of Mondriaan’s unique vision. Horizontal and vertical lines are the basic principle in his work: this is therefore used as the starting point of the coin design. On the obverse of the coin, you can see a portrait of King Willem-Alexander. On the left side the text ‘King of the Netherlands’ is written from top to bottom. On the bottom you can find the text ‘Willem-Alexander’. The two lines with text cross each other: this is a referral to Mondriaan’s work. On the left side of the obverse you will spot the mintmark and the privy mark. The reverse also has a horizontal and vertical movement. The two lines on the fond cross on the bottom. The text follows these lines. In one direction the year 1872 is displayed, the birth year of Mondriaan. In the other direction the year 2022 is displayed, the year of 150 years Piet Mondriaan. The horizontal line is thicker, to give more meaning to the composition and the name Piet Mondriaan which is displayed above.