Podere Santa Pia has a small collection of art and artists’ books, including drawings and etchings byRonald Noorman, Philippe Vandenberg, Hanns Schimansky and many others. In this spacious, high-ceilinged room, some etchings by Ronald Noorman are on view.

Ronald Noorman

Ronald Noorman was a Dutch artist known for his modest yet impressive drawings that strike a balance between abstract and figurative. He passed away at the age of 66. Noorman was born in Hilversum in 1951 and studied painting at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam before becoming a draughtsman. He exhibited his work extensively and his drawings – most of which are small and untitled – are included in collections throughout the Netherlands, including those of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Teylers Museum in Haarlem.

Although recognisable things recur in his earlier works from the 1980s – for example, turnstiles and bones – he ultimately sought to find a delicate balance between chaos and control through abstract markings and patterns. ‘I prefer to stick to the human dimension,’ he once said about the scale of his works. ‘With small formats, I have to focus on power, monumentality, tension, spatiality and speed.’ In addition to drawing and creating graphic works that often accompanied texts, Noorman was a collector of outsider art.