{"id":78122,"date":"2017-06-21T14:03:21","date_gmt":"2017-06-21T12:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/?p=71682\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T10:32:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T09:32:27","slug":"een-dikke-middelvinger-naar-de-architectuur-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2017\/06\/21\/een-dikke-middelvinger-naar-de-architectuur-2\/","title":{"rendered":"A big flip-off against the architecture"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When they were building the campus in the 1960s, some people were less enamoured of all those grey buildings.\u201d According to Cora Boele, the curator of EUR\u2019s academic heritage, this is the \u2013 surprisingly pragmatic \u2013 reason why we can now find so much art in and around the EUR complexes.<\/p>\n

A committee headed by Professor Piet Sanders, the founder of EUR\u2019s legal faculty commemorated in the eponymous building, invited artists to add colour to the grey, concrete behemoths on campus. \u201cIndeed, that\u2019s why a large share of the art on campus stems from the late \u201960s. At that time, they asked a number of big names to create works for the university.<\/p>\n

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\u2191 Untitled, Karel Appel, 1969<\/strong> \u2013 Many visitors probably don\u2019t give a second thought to the tile tableau on the facade of the former H Building. But La Rivi\u00e8re (see photo) is impressed. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes it so impressive: the fact that the work integrates with the rest of the building and that everyone takes it for granted. Those bright colours contrast so beautifully with the rock-hard, grey edifice. It\u2019s a one-two punch. I like to think of it as a big flip-off against the surrounding architecture.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u2191 Ogenblikken, Willem Oorebeek, 2015 <\/strong>\u2013 It may come as a surprise for many students whiling away the hours in Polak, but the \u2018mirror walls\u2019 along the building\u2019s rear walls are actually works of art. \u201cThey don\u2019t really come into their own. The art integrates too strongly with the rest of the building for this. I\u2019m not sure if I like it, but it\u2019s pleasant enough. Each time round, the reflection results in a different image. The work interacts very strongly with the lines of the building itself. I would recommend going to the top floor. There\u2019s natural lighting there, which makes for a far more enjoyable viewing experience.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

The required funding was secured via the \u2018Fine Arts Percentage Act\u2019, which had been adopted in the mid-20th century. \u201cThe law requires around 1 percent of the construction budget for public buildings to be spent on art. This is still the case \u2013 although the scheme is occasionally overlooked.\u201d Despite this trend, the new buildings at Woudestein are also full of art. A special committee decides which works are acquired and keeps an eye on the existing collection. \u201cThis committee also includes members from outside the university. This way, we can avoid situations where, for example, a dean says \u2018I like this sculpture \u2013 I\u2019m going to buy it\u2019. The dean is free to do so, but with his or her own money, for his or her own room.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, there\u2019s more than enough art on campus. But is it actually worth checking out after a long day\u2019s work or study? EM invited the Rotterdam-based artist and expert Gyz La Rivi\u00e8re to compile a list of his favourite works in the University collection. A tour of these highlights elicited feelings of joy, frustration, admiration and amazement.<\/p>\n

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\u2191\u00a0Rotterdam in keramiek, Piet van Stuyvenberg, 1969 \u2013 <\/strong>The artist is a bit miffed about the location of this work, hidden behind a little fence next to the entrance to Erasmus Building: \u201cThis is a horrible site. It almost feels as if you\u2019re trespassing when you go over to look at it. It deserves a far better spot \u2013 because it\u2019s actually a fine work. In terms of shape and materials, this circle contrasts very nicely with the concrete and the surrounding area. The three red dots indicate where you can find Woudestein, Hoboken and Erasmus\u2019s place of birth. Nice idea.\u201dven\u2019t observed any impact on the temperature (yet).<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u2191 Etende mensen, Lucebert, 1969<\/strong> \u2013 La Rivi\u00e8re isn\u2019t very happy with the site, the hallway between the Aula and the Theil Building. \u201cThe work was created for a student cafeteria in the Tinbergen Building. Which would suit it far better than this location. Here, you don\u2019t have enough room to actually view it. But you have to see it in the context of when it was made. Those post-war fellows were overwhelmed by everything that was going on. Which is why they painted happy, eating people, for example. It\u2019s a very childlike search for innocence and freedom.\u201d Besides being a major Dutch artist, Lucebert is also a famous poet. \u201cHe wrote one of the most famous lines of poetry in Rotterdam: \u2018Everything of value is defenceless\u2019. The neon sign was recently put up again at Blaak.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u2191\u00a0Zonder Titel, Dick Elffers, 1969<\/strong> \u2013 The artist is silent for a moment when he sees the three white reliefs on the walls of the Theil Building. \u201cWow. This is very beautiful. Made by the brother of one of the building\u2019s architects. This concept didn\u2019t really work out in Polak earlier \u2013 but it works here. The work is an integral part of the building. Wham: that white really comes to the fore. It\u2019s a very solid work. And it doesn\u2019t seem dated at all. This has to be the finest work on campus.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u2191 Tegelwand, Bouke Ylstra, 1969<\/strong> \u2013 The artist is silent for a moment when he sees the three white reliefs on the walls of the Theil Building. \u201cWow. This is very beautiful. Made by the brother of one of the building\u2019s architects. This concept didn\u2019t really work out in Polak earlier \u2013 but it works here. The work is an integral part of the building. Wham: that white really comes to the fore. It\u2019s a very solid work. And it doesn\u2019t seem dated at all. This has to be the finest work on campus.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u2191\u00a0Wandreli\u00ebf(s), Cor van Kralingen, 1959 <\/strong>\u2013 When we go over to Hoboken, in the central hall of Erasmus MC opposite AKO, we find a number of reliefs \u2018hidden\u2019 in the planters. \u201cIt\u2019s nice that this work is back, because for a long time, you could find it hanging near the main entrance to Dijkzicht Hospital. The reliefs show developments in medical science through the years. It suits the hospital very well. They hardly make this kind of thing anymore, and it\u2019s very different to the other works on display. And a lot more people can enjoy this kind of thing, because it is very representational.\u201d However, the artist does complain again about the site itself. \u201cIt would have been a lot better if the work had been presented at a nice location in the hall, and people had been offered a bit more space to view it.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

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\u2191\u00a0\u2018Coolsingelziekenhuis in de vuurzee\u2019, Louis van Roode, 1961<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cThe average person entering the hospital via the main entrance wouldn\u2019t even notice this work. Which is a pity, because it\u2019s very nice. The mosaic work shows the old Coolsingel Hospital, which stood on the present site of the Donner bookstore. There\u2019s nothing left of it besides a little gateway near the spring roll seller\u2019s stand on Lijnbaan.\u201d According to La Rivi\u00e8re, the mosaic is \u2018very well made\u2019. \u201cThat\u2019s why it deserves a more prominent site.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\t

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