Tulip Mania

Made of enlarged Gilders – the former Dutch currency – eleven enormous tulips were hung upside down in the main hall of the Stadsschouwburg theatre in Amsterdam. The installation was created for De Boekenbal 2013, a traditional Opening Ball held on the eve of the Book Week since 1947.

The name refers to Tulip Mania, a period in Dutch history in which the price for tulip bulbs became
a subject of speculation and reached extraordinary highs followed by a sudden collapse. It was an economic bubble that fell as quickly as it rose, in which men made and lost fortunes overnight.