VerzamelJaarbeurs did a mini interview with Bas

October 15, 2022

Crazy about vintage dealers with quirky stuff? Then you must visit the stand of @oblomov_art during the VerzamelaarJaarbeurs. Vendor Bas van der Horst has a great passion for objects related to the former Eastern Bloc.

"Since my childhood, I have been fascinated by everything from behind the Iron Curtain, from communist posters to utensils. Later, when I started working as a graphic designer myself, it didn't leave me at all. I started taking a lot of things with me during my travels. Unfortunately, since I couldn't possibly keep everything myself, I started the webshop Oblomov Art with a friend."

What sets Oblomov Art apart?

"We got most of the objects ourselves from places you can't easily get to now. Shortly before the war broke out in Ukraine, I went out there. We had collected so much that flying back was no longer an option. I went back by train with six suitcases and a box for 33 hours. If this is not a passion? But Oblomov Art has more than figurines of Lenin and posters from the Soviet era. We also love Japanese lacquer boxes, old Dutch stools and kitchen steps, an old chest, a bit of glass from Leerdam and a lamp from the 1960s. A stylish mix."

This is your first VerzamelJaarbeurs. Exciting?

"Very exciting! It's our first time at a fair anyway. But we're really looking forward to it!"

What are you all taking with you?

"Posters and maps, stools, chests, lamps and a chair that I find very comfortable myself, haha. It will be crazy, but beautiful as a whole."

What are your eye-catchers?

"Posters I brought back from Latvia. These are posters from the Soviet era that were not mass-produced, but largely handmade. The antiques dealer in Riga told me they were probably designed for the VEF factory where, among other things, they made the Minox spy cameras."

What do you hope to find yourself at the VerzamelJaarbeurs?

"I'm going to be very happy if I find a nice Hala Zeist desk lamp!"