The former Dijkzigt Hospital was one of the first buildings in Rotterdam to benefit from the city council's decision to allocate a certain percentage of the construction costs to artistic enhancements, known as the percentage scheme. When commissioning works for the Dijkzigt Hospital came up, several city council members insisted that the artworks should be understandable not only to the Arts Committee, but also to ordinary Rotterdam residents. In other words, no modernist experiments. This request was certainly met with this sculpture. On March 16, 1961, the city council approved the purchase of The Good Samaritan by artist Han Wezelaar. Endless discussions focused on the height of the pedestal, which, at five meters, was deemed far too high. Council members felt the statue was "so lofty" that the biblical ideal would become "unattainable for the common man." The unveiling of Wezelaar's sculpture on July 3, 1964, marked the final phase of construction on Dijkzigt Hospital. During the lengthy construction work at Erasmus MC and Dijkzigt Hospital, the work was temporarily placed in storage. For the temporary sculpture park Uproot Rotterdam, a project in 2016 by BKOR, the work was removed from the depot and placed in the Museum Park. After Uproot Rotterdam is The Good Samaritan located on the south side of the Erasmus MC, behind the Natural History Museum Rotterdam.
Han Wezelaar (1901–1984) was an important Dutch sculptor. He was the first Dutch student of Ossip Zadkine in Paris and organized the first Rodin exhibition in the Netherlands. Later, he was inspired by Aristide Maillol and introduced modern developments back to the Netherlands in the 1930s. He thus played a major role in Dutch art history. Read more here an article about this artist.
Percentage regulation, involved construction assignment
Owner
Erasmus Medical Center
About the artwork
The former Dijkzigt Hospital was one of the first buildings in Rotterdam to benefit from the city council's decision to allocate a certain percentage of the construction costs to artistic enhancements, known as the percentage scheme. When commissioning works for the Dijkzigt Hospital came up, several city council members insisted that the artworks should be understandable not only to the Arts Committee, but also to ordinary Rotterdam residents. In other words, no modernist experiments. This request was certainly met with this sculpture. On March 16, 1961, the city council approved the purchase of The Good Samaritan by artist Han Wezelaar. Endless discussions focused on the height of the pedestal, which, at five meters, was deemed far too high. Council members felt the statue was "so lofty" that the biblical ideal would become "unattainable for the common man." The unveiling of Wezelaar's sculpture on July 3, 1964, marked the final phase of construction on Dijkzigt Hospital. During the lengthy construction work at Erasmus MC and Dijkzigt Hospital, the work was temporarily placed in storage. For the temporary sculpture park Uproot Rotterdam, a project in 2016 by BKOR, the work was removed from the depot and placed in the Museum Park. After Uproot Rotterdam is The Good Samaritan located on the south side of the Erasmus MC, behind the Natural History Museum Rotterdam.
Han Wezelaar (1901–1984) was an important Dutch sculptor. He was the first Dutch student of Ossip Zadkine in Paris and organized the first Rodin exhibition in the Netherlands. Later, he was inspired by Aristide Maillol and introduced modern developments back to the Netherlands in the 1930s. He thus played a major role in Dutch art history. Read more here an article about this artist.
Percentage regulation, involved construction assignment
Owner
Erasmus Medical Center
Han Wezelaar -
The Good Samaritan (1964)
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