Job Smeets

Job Smeets' collection SOFT PARADE, which explores tenderness not as comfort, but as a deliberate stance in difficult times. The collection uses irony and humor as structural tools to hold tension and contradiction—such as fragility and strength—without resolution. Softness is framed as a form of intelligence that embraces vulnerability and instability. The collection features six object typologies (including a daybed, carpet, and lounge chair), each using form and material to reflect on softness as a critical, contemporary condition.

about

Job Smeets (1969) is a pioneering figure in contemporary conceptual and sculptural art and thefounder of Studio Job, established in 1998 Working in a Renaissance spirit, Smeets mergestraditional craftsmanship with modern techniques to create highly detailed, one-of-a-kind objects that blur the line between sculpture and function.

Renowned for reviving monumental bronze sculpture and bridging the line between art anddesign, his practice also spans marquetry, ceramics, lighting, textiles, and silver. From hisNetherlands-based atelier, a team of master artisans employs classical methods, rejectingmodernist minimalism in favour of what Smeets terms “non-modernism” a richly layeredaesthetic defined by historical references, intricate ornamentation, and dark humour. Oftendescribed as neo-Gothic or post-Renaissance, his work is between monumental art andcollectible design.

Smeets’ work has been exhibited at leading institutions including Metropolitan Museum of Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Venice Biennale. He has collaborated with globalluxury houses such as Hermès, Fendi, Swarovski, and Land Rover, while creating more than 600collectible designs for brands including Alessi, Gufram, and Swatch.With over 400 exhibitions worldwide and a royal commission for the current Dutch nationalstamp, Smeets remains one of the most influential figures in contemporary art and design. In2027, Studio Job will unveil House of Delft, a 2,000-square-metre project years in development,set to become the largest artwork in the Netherlands.