Ruud Janssen
A Dutch artist who turned the global postal system into his canvas, pioneering the interactive world of mail art.
Born 1959 (age 67)·Dutch artist·Birthday: July 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ruud Janssen operates in the quiet, deliberate space where art meets communication. As a central figure in the international mail art network, his practice is built on connection rather than isolation. Emerging from the Fluxus tradition, which valued process over product, Janssen's work involves sending and receiving artistically altered postcards, letters, and packages, creating a vast, collaborative web. He is also the force behind the Tireless Tapes project, producing and distributing audio cassettes of sound poetry and experimental music. Beyond his own creations, Janssen serves as a vital archivist and historian for the mail art movement, meticulously documenting its ephemeral exchanges and ensuring this democratic, pre-internet form of social networking is preserved and understood.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ruud was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ruud Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Ruud's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 60
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 67 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded the IUOMA (International Union of Mail Artists), a major hub for mail art networking.
- Created the Tireless Tapes project, distributing hundreds of audio cassettes of experimental sound art.
- Maintains one of the most extensive personal archives of mail art correspondence in the world.
Did You Know?
He began his mail art correspondence in 1980, building a network of thousands of contacts.
Janssen is also known for his 'artistamp' creations, fictional postage stamps used in mail art.
He developed a detailed system for documenting and cataloguing every piece of mail art he receives.
“The network is the artwork; the stamps and envelopes are its nodes.”
