Out of Focus
Status
Permanent
Category
Stolen
Since
01-12-2009
Explanation
This bronze statue of a graceful dancer was the victim of a statue robbery in 2009. At the time, the Netherlands was regularly rocked by the theft of bronze sculptures from public spaces. The theft of The Thinker by world-famous French sculptor August Rodin from the garden of the Singer Museum in Laren in 2007 was even national news. That sculpture was recovered two days later completely mutilated with saw cuts. Fortunately, it could be restored and has been back in the museum since January 2011. What the fate of Bremer's Dancing Girl is unclear to this day. Chances are that she was melted down.
Artwork Data
Title
Dansend meisje
Artist
Jean Bremers, Marianne Bremers
Year
1988
Material
Brons
Dimensions
h. 300 cm
Artwork Location
Address
Clingendael, Den Haag
City district
Haagse Hout
GPS data
52.101418185387, 4.3299314550087 View on map
Artwork Description
Text
Since 1988, two bronze sculptures by Jean and Marianne Bremers have stood in The Hague: 'Dancing girl' in Park Clingendael and a statue of Prince Bernhard (1911-2004) in front of the headquarters of the Royal Netherlands Air Force at Binckhorstlaan. But in 2006 the headquarters moved to Breda and the statue of the prince went with it.
The other Hague sculpture by the sculptor couple Bremers still stood amid flower beds and gracefully trimmed boxwood hedges in Park Clingendael until 2009. Originally the sculpture had a spot on the lawn, later it was given a place within the Old Dutch garden near the mansion. The girl or young ballerina dances with flapping tail and cloth, high on her toes. She spreads the arms gracefully, upward and sideways. The gossamer outfit barely conceals her supple, young body, leaving at least one breast exposed. She is absorbed in the dance game with concentration. The sculpture fits well in the garden, which - inspired by 17th-century garden art - was created in the early 20th century.
The Bremers are known for their hypernaturalistic bronzes: portraits, animal figures, historical sculptures and free work, such as dancers and acrobats. Everything they make should approach reality as closely as possible. The cloth with which the girl in Clingendael dances, for instance, has been rendered very refined. The thin bronze seems just as pliable and flexible as a real piece of cloth. A sketch or a drawing in advance is not necessary. They work directly in the wax with the sculpture between them, that's how well the couple get along with each other. This has one major drawback. Jean soberly remarks about this in the Brabants Dagblad of 1 September 2006: 'If one of us dies, it's all over'.