M.C. Escher & Albert E. Bosman: A Mathematical Connection

Bosman and Escher were neighbours in Baarn (NL) from 1944 to 1961. They shared a deep fascination with mathematical concepts and both explored limits and the finite and infinite in their work. They made abstract principles visually accessible to a wider audience. For the first time, their work is being shown side by side in M.C. Escher & Albert E. Bosman: A Mathematical Connection at Escher in The Palace. The presentation fills a whole room and has been integrated into the permanent exhibition featuring key works by M.C. Escher.

M.C. Escher managed in his work to seamlessly link mathematics and art, a gift which in the second half of his career brought him into contact with scholars from around the world. But he also had such contacts closer to home, including Albert E. Bosman, his neighbour in Baarn. Bosman was particularly interested in the visualisation of mathematical concepts, as reflected in his best-known creation, the Pythagoras Tree, seen on posters in classrooms throughout the Netherlands for many decades.