Artwork Data

Title

Het Otootje

Artist

Theo van Laar

Year

1980

Material

diverse materialen

Artwork Location

Address

Westenbergstraat, Den Haag

City district

Centrum

GPS data

52.069337953532, 4.3138108952453 View on map

Artwork Description

Text

The work of art was famous in the Schilderswijk and was almost without exception highly appreciated by the local residents. But Theo van Laar's 1980 "Car on the Wall" had to be removed in July 1996. In bad weather, a hubcap of the red Mini fell off and rusted through completely. Within a few days, the vehicle was hoisted down. A pity, but the complete work of art would disappear later that year when the building in De Heemstraat, to which it was attached, was demolished.

The residents of the Schilderswijk in The Hague did not leave it at that. They took successful action. It took a few years before a suitable location was found. In 2004, the Mini returned to the neighbourhood. The car again neatly turns into the parking space which this time is painted on a blind wall of a flat in Westenbergstraat. As this wall is smaller than the one at the old location, a new design has been made for the parking area. The parking bays are now on the left instead of the right. OUT is up or straight ahead and no longer left. There is also less parking space available.

In addition to the façade object, Van Laar made various murals in the Schilderswijk, all in a hyperrealistic style that we also see in his countless paintings and drawings.

Close