A summary about Ari T Hart
Ari T Hart was born on October 20th, 1934 in Delft, Holland
and sadly passed away on July 16th, 2021 at the age of 87.
He was a fine instrument maker, fly fisherman, painter, charming conversationalist, winner of various design prizes, citizen of the world, designer of a large series of beautiful reels, but also a professional volleyball coach with a well-stocked prize cabinet.
Ari 't Hart has been a homo universalis, an all-rounder.
Ari was educated at the Leiden Instrumentmakers School. After this training he worked as an instrument maker at the Institute for Air Mapping (ITC). That institute moved to Enschede in 1971, after which Ari and his wife Astrid eventually ended up in Oldenzaal. During that entire period, he also worked as a volleyball trainer and coach in the west of the country. After their move, he continued that work at the University of Twente.
The Hart family grew up surrounded by technology. Ari's passion for fishing fired his desire to design the first Ari T Hart reel in 1959. He showed these to Hans Gebetroither who became his crtitic and sounding board for new ideas. These ideas eveloped into the most beautiful and practical fly fishing reels the world has known.
His 'reels', as they are called, are loved by the greats of the earth, such as George Bush Sr, Joe Cocker and Prince Charles. "Although they are not the highest paying customers", Ari T Hart used to told with a laugh.
A GENIUS ... FOREVER!
Ari's iconic works rebelled against the status quo, each one unconventionally alluring. "My reels are futuristic, made with the absolute best of materials and, of course, they must be beautiful," he said.
While Ari's aesthetic is modern, he fished old school, never taking a fish with him: "When I catch a fish, I give it a kiss and let it go. I tell him that maybe I will catch him another day."
Ari T Hart
John Betts wrote once in a letter about Ari T Hart:
“Ari T Hart began his career as a designer, engineer and metallurgist with the Dutch department of defense 30 years ago. A decade later he was employed by the international training center for photogrammetry after 20 years with I.T.C. He had a world-wide reputation as a man of considerable energy and talent. Many examples of his work are not only standards for industry, but are part of the permanent collections of the major museums of Europe. In 1980 he went on his own to begin making the reels and vises which rank among the best in the world.”
The Wading List - Fly Fishing - Characters - Ari t Hart
Source: YouTube channel of "The Wading List", Interview of Leonard Schoenberger in 2018
Hyppo Wanders visited Ari T Hart in 2016
It's a shame, but I never met Ari T Hart in person. So, it's not up to me to want to or even be able to characterize Ari's personality. Instead I have translated the following article from Dutch to English:
Source: Visionair Nr. 40 / June 2016 / Text by Hyppo Wanders
“Nederlandse reels voor Amerikaanse presidenten - Alleskunner Ari ’t Hart ontwerpt unieke vliegenreels”
Organized chaos
The older readers among us may know the character Malle Pietje, a character from the TV series Swiebertje. Malle Pietje traded in various business and did so from a 'shop' that was stacked to the brim. Ari's office has that same organized chaos. Cabinets full of reels, tables full of instruments, walls full of paintings. No space on the floor was left unused. Jewelry, lamps, certificates, binding vises, tools, statues, all made by Ari himself. And everything equally beautiful. Ari follows my gaze, which immediately becomes fixated on the overstuffed wall cabinet with reels. “This is not the whole collection. I have made over 500 different reels since 1959. I no longer have the first, but there are about 300 copies in a modern art museum in Calgary.”
I watch the famous series from the early 80s with beautiful names like the Traun, the Rio Orbigo, Lake Taupo and the River Deschutes. They still look fresh and modern. Ari hands over a special-looking reel: “These are my very latest reels, nice isn't it, those are pieces of art dude. Beautiful finish, it's all handmade. I also have a smaller version, which has been combined with some aspects of my old style. That's the very best there is. You can throw it against the wall and it still won't break.”
IMPULSIVE DESIGN He has been designing reels for almost 60 years. There are often only two or three of a new series that are usually sold immediately. “The new ones here are by the way my most expensive reels, there is so much manual work in them. Just shining that ATH logo in it with glass pearl in combination with the polished case, that takes a lot of time. Designing a new reel only takes two days and ... fifty-five years! I work from the material. I'll pick it up and then go make something. And while I'm making it, I'm just changing it until something beautiful comes out. I don't always have what I want to make in my head. I sit behind the machines and work impulsively. I don't draw or sketch in advance. When it's ready and if I like it and want to have it made into a series, I only sign it the other day. And then it can also go straight to the factory. You can't work faster. Otherwise I can't work either. I work from my fantasy, inspiration from outside is not necessary. Only with regard to color I let the opinion of the client play a role. MOTTO In the design phase, in addition to functionality, appearance also plays an important role: “My whole motto is: Can it also be beautiful? Of course, it has to work well, but please let it be beautiful too! I had a teacher at the Instrument Maker School who once put a piece of material on the table and then said to me: “Mr. Hart, if you can't fall in love with that piece of material, you can't make something beautiful out of it.” That has been a very important lesson for me. During one of the first American shows I was invited to, 21 of the world's best designers were in attendance. My story there was "May it be beautiful too please." And none of those big guys out there — computer companies, designers, directors, and I don't know what's going on — nobody understood that story. When asked what I meant by that, I explained that I have worked with disabled athletes for years. The first thing that I presented during that show was a futuristic-looking wheelchair. That wheelchair is characteristic: when you see someone sitting in a wheelchair -and it is a shabby ugly thing- you think: oh, how pathetic for that man or woman. But now I'm changing things up and making that man a terribly beautiful wheelchair. Then you immediately look at that person with a different idea: what a nice wheelchair you have. That man is no longer pathetic at that moment. And that's the difference. I try to do that with everything.”
BEAUTY His career as a designer of unique fly reels started in 1959 when he was introduced to fly fishing. “I started fly fishing on the advice of a friend. I bought my first fly rod at V&D. I also bought my first reel, a Heddon, a small green reel. The first thing that came to my mind when I had that thing: I can make something better - but also much more beautiful. Then it started and I made my first reel. From that moment on I started with smaller designs. Because at the time I was still making large optical equipment for aerial mapping, devices that do not fit in the room here at all. But I also incorporated design into those large devices. I have retained that drive for design. Down to the smallest detail. Every part has been carefully chosen and processed.” It turns out that Ari's entire life is all about beauty. He pulls out a mockup of a book from a cupboard. A viewing book about his own work but also about his friends he has met over the years. “This will be my book with the Astrid reel designed by me on the cover. An ode to my wife Astrid. Everyone who wrote something to me gets a double page in that book. With the correspondence shown on it. I link the corresponding reel to it and choose or make a painting that suits that person.” As you browse, celebrities such as singer Joe Cocker, writer Jack Hemingway and former president Jimmy Carter pass by. A born storyteller, Ari has an anecdote about all those celebrities. He once wrote a letter to Georg Bush thanking him for everything he did during the Gulf War. To express his gratitude, Ari gifted the president a unique reel in 1996. “A year later I get a call from the White House asking me to make ten of those reels for the presidential team that will be fishing with him. Of course, I promptly made and delivered those reels. But the bill has not been paid to this day." MAMMOTH IVORY Ari is not just a reel designer. He works just as easily on wood or forges jewelry. His craftsmanship is widely spread. It is also flexible in the choice of material and does not allow itself to be restricted. Precious metals such as gold and silver, industrial materials such as steel, aluminum and titanium, but also natural materials such as wood and ivory. Combinations of all this are soon obvious. Serious work but also jewelry with a smile. For example, he shows a miniature fly rod and reel of all together barely 10 centimeters. Carved from 60,000 years old mammoth ivory. Found in 1978 while traveling in Siberia. TO TRUST Despite being 81 years old, Ari is a hard worker: “I still work until 2am, even on weekends. But it must not become a routine, no work of the same, I am too much of a designer for that. I always want to make something new. That goes on continuously. In my career I have worked with different people and have always chosen the wrong one, had too much confidence. That too much trust has always broken me. But I am the way I am, I wouldn't want to change myself. Money interests me much less than the freedom to do what I want. There is no one who says to me: you have to do this or you have to do that. Luckily, I can figure that out myself. Everyone would like such an attitude, but that is not always possible. I have restarted six times. Fortunately, I have a woman that I have been with for 50 years and who has always stood behind me. If I hadn't had Astrid, I could never have done this. She is someone who takes care of me completely.”
Ari T Hart, Sophisticated Reel designer
Source: YouTube channel of "Tom Meerbeek", 2014
Ari T Hart - Remco part of the Collection of MoMA (Museum of Modern Art, New York)
MUSEUM of MODERN ART Like a Malle Pietje, Ari dives behind the couch in search of something specific. Again, and again he comes out with a beautiful reel, storage box or special tool for making flies. Everything radiates a thoughtful simplicity, nothing is out of balance, everything works perfectly. Functional design that makes you greedy. What is thought about with the heart. “What I am still very proud of is that one of my reels, the Remco, has been included in the collection of the Museum of Modern Arts in New York.” FLY FISHING In addition to being an artist, Ari is also a sports fisherman in heart and soul. He still prefers fly fishing: “The elegance of fly fishing is the deciding factor for me. The total grace of fly fishing: flowing water, adventure, movement, the line floating in the air, the visible bite. You will not find that in other fisheries. What could be more fun than strolling along the bank of an unknown German river and catching a few insects from the bushes with a net. Then take a seat, open the tying box and tie two imitations of the insect just caught. This is how I propose the pinnacle of fly fishing. And then there is nothing more fun if it actually works. That's why I make these kinds of boxes. And that makes me happy when I've made it. From figuring out to get everything right. Of the entire process, including the end product. A product that then becomes the start of a new process. It never stops.
