Hoed van zwart langharig vilt met een zwart satijnen lint om de bol c. 1920 - 1925

Itallie-Balvers made this hat of black long-haired felt with a black satin ribbon around the crown. When I look at this hat, I think about the kind of conversation artists have with materials. Imagine Itallie-Balvers finding this black felt. It's so tactile, right? I can almost feel it. And the sheen of the black satin ribbon against the matte felt must have sparked something. It's like the artist found the right word, the perfect note, in the ribbon. The material aspects of this piece really make it sing. I love how the texture invites you closer, while the dark color holds a bit of mystery. It's a simple gesture, the addition of the ribbon, but it speaks volumes. It reminds me of a painting, where a single stroke can change everything. Artists are always borrowing, always in conversation, pushing each other to see things in new ways. It’s like we're all remixing the same song, trying to find our own verse.