ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Jozef Van Wissem and The Underground Youth on Art and Music

artist · 2026-04-27

Jozef Van Wissem, a Dutch lutenist and avant-garde composer, was born in Maastricht in 1962. He relocated to New York in 1993 to study under Pat O'Brien. His distinctive interpretation of Renaissance and Baroque lute music earned him the Best Soundtrack award at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival for Jim Jarmusch's film Only Lovers Left Alive. Van Wissem has worked alongside Tilda Swinton and Jarboe, and has received commissions from both the National Gallery in London and the State Hermitage Museum. He admires Caravaggio's The Lute Player (1596). The Underground Youth, established in 2008 by Craig Dyer, merges psychedelia with post-punk, featuring current members Craig Dyer, Olya Dyer, Max James, and Leonard Kaage. Dyer's favorite piece is the Bust of Nefertiti (c. 1345 BC).

Key facts

  • Jozef Van Wissem is a Dutch avant-garde composer and lutenist born in Maastricht in 1962.
  • He moved to New York in 1993 to study lute with Pat O'Brien.
  • He won Best Soundtrack at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival for Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive.
  • He has collaborated with Tilda Swinton and Jarboe.
  • He received commissions from the National Gallery in London and the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.
  • His favorite artwork is Caravaggio's The Lute Player, which he performed at the Hermitage in 2017.
  • The Underground Youth was founded in 2008 by Craig Dyer in Blackpool.
  • The band's current lineup includes Craig Dyer, Olya Dyer, Max James, and Leonard Kaage.

Entities

Artists

  • Jozef Van Wissem
  • Pat O'Brien
  • Jim Jarmusch
  • Tilda Swinton
  • Jarboe
  • Caravaggio
  • Craig Dyer
  • Olya Dyer
  • Max James
  • Leonard Kaage
  • Bob Dylan
  • Nick Cave
  • Thutmose

Institutions

  • National Gallery
  • State Hermitage Museum
  • Neues Museum
  • Festival de Cannes

Locations

  • Maastricht
  • Netherlands
  • New York
  • United States
  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • Saint Petersburg
  • Russia
  • Blackpool
  • Manchester
  • Berlin
  • Germany

Sources