Reading girl was a gift from the Rotterdam Booksellers to the municipality, in honor of the twenty-fifth Book Week in 1960. After the Second World War, Rotterdam had quite a number of bookshops, who wanted to give the Boekenweek a local look by offering the statue to the municipality. Until 1969, the sandstone statue by artist Huib Noorlander stood at the entrance of the Korte Lijnbaan. After that, the Schouwburgplein was redesigned and the statue was moved. Years later, when the Schouwburgplein was redesigned by West 8, it could be returned to its original location. The statue belongs to 'the spirit' of the Lijnbaan, as the first car-free shopping street in the Netherlands. The sandstone original of it Reading girl was replaced by a bronze one in the 1970s, after the statue was beheaded.
Huib Noorlander (Schiebroek, 1928 – Nijmegen, 2004) was a figurative sculptor. He founded the artist group in 1951 together with artists Louis van Roode, Jan Burgerhout, Kees Franse, Jan Goedhart, Charles Kemper and Ed van Zanden Argus on. On the occasion of the 100 anniversary of the Holland America Line, he made a picture of it Cauldron Twinkle (1973). A well-known image in Rotterdam, a replica of which is in the Maritime Museum and a reduced version is awarded annually as Ketelbinkie Prize. More than ten statues of Noorlander can be found in Rotterdam. In the 1960s, Noorlander and artist Joeki Simak formed the most famous artist couple in Rotterdam.
Reading girl was a gift from the Rotterdam Booksellers to the municipality, in honor of the twenty-fifth Book Week in 1960. After the Second World War, Rotterdam had quite a number of bookshops, who wanted to give the Boekenweek a local look by offering the statue to the municipality. Until 1969, the sandstone statue by artist Huib Noorlander stood at the entrance of the Korte Lijnbaan. After that, the Schouwburgplein was redesigned and the statue was moved. Years later, when the Schouwburgplein was redesigned by West 8, it could be returned to its original location. The statue belongs to 'the spirit' of the Lijnbaan, as the first car-free shopping street in the Netherlands. The sandstone original of it Reading girl was replaced by a bronze one in the 1970s, after the statue was beheaded.
Huib Noorlander (Schiebroek, 1928 – Nijmegen, 2004) was a figurative sculptor. He founded the artist group in 1951 together with artists Louis van Roode, Jan Burgerhout, Kees Franse, Jan Goedhart, Charles Kemper and Ed van Zanden Argus on. On the occasion of the 100 anniversary of the Holland America Line, he made a picture of it Cauldron Twinkle (1973). A well-known image in Rotterdam, a replica of which is in the Maritime Museum and a reduced version is awarded annually as Ketelbinkie Prize. More than ten statues of Noorlander can be found in Rotterdam. In the 1960s, Noorlander and artist Joeki Simak formed the most famous artist couple in Rotterdam.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. OkNo
