Artist Karel Appel had become involved in the construction of the new building for the Netherlands School of Economics (NEH), under the auspices of architect Cornelis Elffers. As part of the percentage scheme, artists were involved in the project, including Rotterdam specialist Ger van Iersel, Dick Elffers (a brother of the architect), Lucebert, and thus Karel Appel. Piet Sanders (1912-2012) played a significant role in the selection process, as he was a professor at the NEH and also served on the art committee for the new building. Appel designed the canopy above the former entrance to the high-rise. It was intended to be a ceramic tile tableau, but this proved to be a costly undertaking. Ultimately, the costs of the tableau were not covered by the percentage scheme, because NV Meelfabrieken der Nederlandse Bakkerij (Meneba) lent a helping hand. In 1965, the company celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, and the management decided to offer Rotterdam two works of art. The NEH was offered 100.000 guilders to enable Karel Appel to create his "facade decoration." The second artwork was a gift to the Daniel den Hoed Clinic, the bronze sculpture Clouds by artist Gust Romijn. City people (1966), as Appel's ceramic tableau is titled, consists of a series of colorful drawings (originally done in chalk and gouache) against a background of white fired tiles. It is a portrait gallery of students, young city dwellers, for whom the future still lies open. The white tiles, made by the Porceleyne Fles in Delft, create an alienating, yet pristine, untouched atmosphere. Everything is still possible; promises have not yet been fulfilled. The series of portraits is an ode to youth, to freedom and the future, and to vitality. The work is signed Apple '66 in the lower right corner. This building is now called the Tinbergen Building and is part of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR). Due to the renovation of this building, the artwork consisting of 4030 tiles was removed from the facade in 2024 and restoredThe building is expected to be completed in 2027 and the restored artwork will be returned to its original location. Click here for an overview of artworks on Woudestein campus.
