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It was May 1981 when The Hague acquired the 'Uithuil tile' by artist Paul van Solingen. Nothing paid for, just received. Van Solingen had laid the concrete tile, with a meandering gutter for his tears across it, in the early morning on the pavement of Lange Voorhout, to the left of Pulchri Studio.

The tile was created under the motto 'Crying out and starting again. That's just the way life is'. Had Van Solingen foreseen that the municipality would not accept his gift? He must have, because it had happened before. There was also a row about the mosaic tile he secretly laid in the pavement of the Spui in 1964. After the municipality had pulled the young artist's leg, the tile was allowed to stay.

Things went differently with the 'Uithuil tile' in Lange Voorhout. The municipality saw this tile as a disturbance of the Lange Voorhout, a protected cityscape. The tile disappeared into the municipal storage area. Van Solingen collected the tile and eventually, after consultation with the municipality, a suitable solution was found: the tile was placed in the pavement in front of the Haagse Kunstkring (HKK) on Denneweg.

By sweeping away a layer of sand, art circle member and architect Sem Aardewerk unveiled the now legal 'Uithuil tile' on 27 December 1984 under the watchful eye of chairman and members. The border reads: 'Uithuil tile, Paul van Solingen, '60-'80'. Van Solingen made the tile in honour of his twenty years of artistry.