Visitekaartje aan Françoise W.M. Bonger Possibly 1965

Zaki El-Hakim made this card on 20/5/1965 for Françoise W.M. Bonger. I wonder what pen he used! I imagine him carefully pressing down on the card with the nib to create those thick looping lines, then releasing it slightly to make the hairlines. It reminds me of Cy Twombly, but on a miniature scale. All that swooping cursive – it's like drawing! There’s a real physicality there. You can see the hand moving, the pressure and release. It makes me think about the act of giving, the exchange of ideas. Even something as simple as handwriting becomes an expression of gratitude. It's so delicate and generous and full of feeling, isn't it? It feels so intimate. What a privilege to witness this small gesture across time.