
Hidden Tapestry
Jan Yoors, His Two Wives, and the War That Made Them One
Debra Dean(Author)
Northwestern University Press
Published on 30. April 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
312 pages
978-0-8101-3683-0 (ISBN)
Description
Hidden Tapestry reveals the unforgettable story of Flemish American artist Jan Yoors-childhood vagabond, wartime resistance fighter, and polyamorous urban bohemian. At the peak of his fame in the 1970s, Yoors's photographs and vast tapestries inspired a dedicated following in his adopted Manhattan. Though his intimate friends guessed the rough outline of his colorful life, Hidden Tapestry is first to detail his astonishing secrets.
At twelve, Jan's life took an extraordinary and unexpected turn when he wandered into a Roma encampment on the outskirts of his native Antwerp just as the place was being raided. Rather than return home, Jan fled with the Roma and continued to live on-and-off with them and with his own family for several years. As an adult in German-occupied France, Yoors joined the Resistance. Defying repeated arrests and torture by the Gestapo, he worked first as a saboteur and later escorted Allied soldiers trapped behind German lines across the Pyrenees to freedom.
After the war, he married childhood friend Annabert van Wettum and embarked on his career as an artist. When a friend of Annabert's, Marianne Citroen, modeled for Yoors, Hidden Tapestry reveals how the two began an affair, which led the three to form a polyamorous unit that would last for the rest of their lives. Moving to New York, the trio became part of the bohemian life of Greenwich Village in the 1950s, Marianne being presented as Annabert's sister.
Told in arresting detail by Debra Dean, best-selling author of The Madonnas of Leningrad, Yoors's story is a luminous and inspiring account of resilience, resourcefulness, and love.
At twelve, Jan's life took an extraordinary and unexpected turn when he wandered into a Roma encampment on the outskirts of his native Antwerp just as the place was being raided. Rather than return home, Jan fled with the Roma and continued to live on-and-off with them and with his own family for several years. As an adult in German-occupied France, Yoors joined the Resistance. Defying repeated arrests and torture by the Gestapo, he worked first as a saboteur and later escorted Allied soldiers trapped behind German lines across the Pyrenees to freedom.
After the war, he married childhood friend Annabert van Wettum and embarked on his career as an artist. When a friend of Annabert's, Marianne Citroen, modeled for Yoors, Hidden Tapestry reveals how the two began an affair, which led the three to form a polyamorous unit that would last for the rest of their lives. Moving to New York, the trio became part of the bohemian life of Greenwich Village in the 1950s, Marianne being presented as Annabert's sister.
Told in arresting detail by Debra Dean, best-selling author of The Madonnas of Leningrad, Yoors's story is a luminous and inspiring account of resilience, resourcefulness, and love.
Reviews / Votes
Debra Dean has written that unique book that is scholarly, historically important, well researched, relevant to the art world as well as the academic and general population, full of vibrant and fascinating characters, beautifully written, and somehow - almost improbably - true."" - Ann Hood, author of The Books That Matter Most and An Italian WifeMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Evanston
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
24 black & white images
Dimensions
Height: 225 mm
Width: 149 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
904 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8101-3683-0 (9780810136830)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Debra Dean is the best-selling author of a short-story collection and two novels, The Mirrored World and The Madonnas of Leningrad-the latter a New York Times Editors' Choice and #1 Booksense Pick. She lives in Miami and teaches at Florida International University.
Content
Part One: War
Pingola
The Gypsies
The Belgian Bohemians
The Best Friend
The Occupation
The Operative
Rom Underground
The Prison Window
The Sardine Letters
Death and the Gardener
The Hunger Winter
The Wild Goose
Annabert's War
The Ghosts
Part Two: Utopia
Pingola Redux
Christ on the Mountainside
The Other Girl
The Apocalypse Tapestry
Betwixt and Between
A New Family
A Threefold Cord
The New World
Faux Boho
Rubie
A Lesson in Weaving
The Patrons
The Family of Man
Only One New York
Baby Book
Tiger and Chipmunk
The Models
The Blue Door on Waverly
Survival
The Gypsy King
The Dragon
Thanksgiving
Afterword: Naples, Florida, 2014
Author's Note
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Pingola
The Gypsies
The Belgian Bohemians
The Best Friend
The Occupation
The Operative
Rom Underground
The Prison Window
The Sardine Letters
Death and the Gardener
The Hunger Winter
The Wild Goose
Annabert's War
The Ghosts
Part Two: Utopia
Pingola Redux
Christ on the Mountainside
The Other Girl
The Apocalypse Tapestry
Betwixt and Between
A New Family
A Threefold Cord
The New World
Faux Boho
Rubie
A Lesson in Weaving
The Patrons
The Family of Man
Only One New York
Baby Book
Tiger and Chipmunk
The Models
The Blue Door on Waverly
Survival
The Gypsy King
The Dragon
Thanksgiving
Afterword: Naples, Florida, 2014
Author's Note
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography