Artwork Data

Title

Berbermeisje

Artist

Dick Loef

Year

1983

Material

brons / steenachtig

Dimensions

250 cm

Artwork Location

Address

Willem Beukelszoonplein, Den Haag

City district

Scheveningen

GPS data

52.1035161, 4.2826108 View on map

Artwork Description

Text

Articles about Dick Loef usually discuss his ceramic work. Although there are a number of them in The Hague, little information can be found about the artist's bronze sculptures. Dick Loef himself did not want to say much about his work either. Surely my words would not increase or intensify the viewer's pleasure or disgust', he assumed.

As a result, little is known about the how and why of the 'Berber Girl', which was placed in the Scheveningen working-class district in which Willem Beukelszoonplein lies. Loef made it at a time when many North Africans came to the Netherlands looking for work. Among them were many Berbers. The name of this tribe is derived from the Greek 'Barbaros'. Berbers belong to the Imazhigen tribe: a nomadic tribe that used to inhabit a large part of North Africa. The girl, barefoot and wrapped in a coarsely woven blanket, is a stranger in the Scheveningen surroundings: a fishermen's court named after the supposed inventor of herring-cooking: Willem Beukelszoon.

Loef often used an archaic form language in his work. The Berbers were probably an intriguing population group for him. He decorated his vases soberly and functionally. The colours of the self-made glaze are reminiscent of Persian or Chinese pottery. In 1968 he came out with his hollow 'boulders': ceramic objects polished by sand or water, glazed in a bluish or greyish glaze. They intrigued by their robust form in contrast to their light weight.

For most people, Loef is best known for the colourful reliefs he designed for public buildings, such as the 'cheerful happy state, inspired by flowers and plants' in the Vrederust-West retirement home. He did not say much about this either other than that he wanted to please the residents of the home.
Loef has died, the backgrounds of his work will never be revealed. The story behind the Berber girl will therefore always remain a matter of guesswork. However, the role of enigmatic stranger does suit the Berber girl.

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