In 1966, this statue made by Jos van Riemsdijk was placed on the schoolyard of the former primary school De Vonk. It is a sweet bronze statue of a girl with a cat. The girl is leaning back and holds the cat in her arms, cuddling. Her legs are stretched out and lie on a stone support, her right foot crossed over the left. Girl with cat is a modest and graceful sculpture, characteristic of Van Riemsdijk's style. Her human figures are characteristic of the 1960s feeling of a person in his environment and how he relates to the world. The work radiates energy that fits with the optimism and sense of progress of the reconstruction, as if the artist wanted to convey a message to the students. In 2024, the school was demolished and during the redevelopment of the schoolyard, they did not want to put the statue back. The statue was stored by BKOR. For many residents, the sculpture had an emotional value, especially for Chris, a local resident who attended De Vonk as a child. Together with other concerned residents, they went in search of the statue and came into contact with BKOR via the area networker. The residents started a residents' initiative and together with Urban Development and construction company W. le Comte, a plan was made for relocation in the neighborhood. The neighborhood networker and the neighborhood council also helped realize the residents' wish. On Thursday afternoon, May 22, 2025, Girl with cat festively unveiled at its new location at the Hollands Tuin. A valuable statue for the neighbourhood is now back in its place, where the residents lovingly care for 'their girl'. They have made a big heart around her and clean her every week.
Jos van Riemsdijk (Uccle, 1915 - 2005) was a sculptor from the mid-1951s. She was a student of Jan Bronner and attended academies in The Hague and Amsterdam. After the war she broke through with her figurative sculptures of people and especially animals. She was a member of the Pulchri Studio society in The Hague and the Dutch Circle of Sculptors. She made at least ten bronze sculptures for various municipalities in the Netherlands, mainly human figures (modest women) and a few animals. She received twice (in 1958 and 1957) the material prize associated with the Jacob Maris Prize and in XNUMX the Jacob Hartog Prize.
Plastic from a girl leaning back with cat in her arms
Materials
Bronze
Dimensions
Height 120 cm
years
1966
Client
Municipality of Rotterdam (OJV)
Recruitment
Project architect ir. J. Koops
Money source
Percentage regulation, involved construction assignment
Owner
Municipality of Rotterdam
About the artwork
In 1966, this statue made by Jos van Riemsdijk was placed on the schoolyard of the former primary school De Vonk. It is a sweet bronze statue of a girl with a cat. The girl is leaning back and holds the cat in her arms, cuddling. Her legs are stretched out and lie on a stone support, her right foot crossed over the left. Girl with cat is a modest and graceful sculpture, characteristic of Van Riemsdijk's style. Her human figures are characteristic of the 1960s feeling of a person in his environment and how he relates to the world. The work radiates energy that fits with the optimism and sense of progress of the reconstruction, as if the artist wanted to convey a message to the students. In 2024, the school was demolished and during the redevelopment of the schoolyard, they did not want to put the statue back. The statue was stored by BKOR. For many residents, the sculpture had an emotional value, especially for Chris, a local resident who attended De Vonk as a child. Together with other concerned residents, they went in search of the statue and came into contact with BKOR via the area networker. The residents started a residents' initiative and together with Urban Development and construction company W. le Comte, a plan was made for relocation in the neighborhood. The neighborhood networker and the neighborhood council also helped realize the residents' wish. On Thursday afternoon, May 22, 2025, Girl with cat festively unveiled at its new location at the Hollands Tuin. A valuable statue for the neighbourhood is now back in its place, where the residents lovingly care for 'their girl'. They have made a big heart around her and clean her every week.
Jos van Riemsdijk (Uccle, 1915 - 2005) was a sculptor from the mid-1951s. She was a student of Jan Bronner and attended academies in The Hague and Amsterdam. After the war she broke through with her figurative sculptures of people and especially animals. She was a member of the Pulchri Studio society in The Hague and the Dutch Circle of Sculptors. She made at least ten bronze sculptures for various municipalities in the Netherlands, mainly human figures (modest women) and a few animals. She received twice (in 1958 and 1957) the material prize associated with the Jacob Maris Prize and in XNUMX the Jacob Hartog Prize.
Plastic from a girl leaning back with cat in her arms
Materials
Bronze
Dimensions
Height 120 cm
years
1966
Client
Municipality of Rotterdam (OJV)
Recruitment
Project architect ir. J. Koops
Money source
Percentage regulation, involved construction assignment
Owner
Municipality of Rotterdam
Jos van Riemsdijk -
Girl with cat (1966)
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