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Works by the artist Eric Claus can be found throughout the Netherlands. In The Hague, sculptures by Claus have been installed at various locations, including *Uilenboom* in the courtyard of the South Holland Provincial Government Building. The owl sits perched in the elm tree, looking pensive, with its shoulders hunched and its feathers fluffed up. It is Claus’s tribute to times gone by. From 1863 to 1943, this site was home to the Royal Zoological and Botanical Gardens, popularly known as the Zoo.

Claus has depicted the owl in a natural way, so that it contrasts beautifully with the tree, which is made up of four flat planes with graphic, relief-like detailing. In this sculpture Claus brings together two visual languages: figuration and abstraction. Combining them, and also switching between these styles, is typical of Claus. He takes the liberty of determining for each work of art which language of form best suits its theme.

This way of working is undoubtedly connected to the basis of Claus' artistry. He trained in Amsterdam: first at the Graphic School, then at the Rijksnormaalschool voor Tekenleraren and finally at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten. He received his first commissions in the early 1960s. He designed coins and medals and made a furore with them. Commissions for monumental and smaller sculptures soon followed. Claus' oeuvre comprises many hundreds of works of art, including paintings and drawings.