Artwork Data
Artwork Location
Address
Wijnhaven, Den Haag
City district
Centrum
GPS data
52.078624225731, 4.3192796037048 View on map
Artwork Description
Text
Actually, he is an architect and urban planner. But in his spare time, Rob Krier makes sculptures. Sturdy sculptures cast in bronze. According to his partner Christoph Kohl (1961), it is a serious hobby. Krier's sculptures can regularly be found in public spaces. One such example is De Resident (1989-2001), the new building with living, working and shopping facilities right next to Central Station, for which Krier drew the master plan. One of these gigantic sculptures is located right in front of the Muzentoren, the only (office) building designed by the architect himself in this area.
Krier is originally from Luxembourg, but has been living and working in Berlin for years. In the 1980s, he was one of the main representatives of post-modernism, a movement that became known for its frequent quotations of elements from history (including art). He has nothing to do with the widely acclaimed modernism, the architecture of space, light and air with a lot of steel and glass, such as at the Bauhaus in the 1930s.
In contrast to prominent colleagues, Krier prefers to fall back on older architecture and urban development. In the meantime, he has become internationally renowned for this traditional or historicising architecture. It actually began with De Resident. Characteristic are the old-fashioned-looking façades and the traditional use of brick. It is precisely this harking back to the past that has brought him success as well as criticism.
Like his architecture and urban development, his sculpture is grafted onto classical forms and techniques. This can also be seen in the sculpture near the Muzentoren. Back to back, you can see the torsos of two men. The young man leans on the shoulders of an older, experienced man. He is looking at the past, while the young man is looking at the future (read: the square).