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The metres-high object by Will Verhey, which was installed in 1980 in the park on the corner of Escamplaan and Weesperstraat, has all the characteristics of a real obelisk. The only difference is that the monolith is not crowned at the top by a pyramid-shaped spire. Despite its respectable length, the tall freestanding column is not an eye-catcher. This is mainly due to the even taller bathhouse in the background, which is a compelling presence as a backdrop.

Although, strictly speaking, the column does not meet the requirements for an obelisk, Verhey has succeeded in guaranteeing visual tension. The long corten steel column is interrupted halfway by protrusions that together form a rhythmic pattern. The geometric additions welded to the column break up the monotony and vertical orientation of the object.

Verhey has exchanged the status of memorial for that of autonomous free form. It needs no references to historical events in order to stand its ground. Everything revolves around the marking of a spot and the inescapable presence of a column without unnecessary frills that wants nothing more than to be seen.
Like her husband the sculptor Paul de Regt, Verhey has always made abstract geometric sculptures. The starting point, for example, was a cube. She sawed it into slices or took pieces out of it. Then it was a matter of shifting the parts until tension was created. This also happened with 'Object'.