Immediately after the liberation, the business community helped rebuild the city. And especially the banks, because only they had sufficient financial resources to undertake construction activities. In November 1950, three new monumental bank buildings opened their doors on Blaak. The Twentsche Bank, the Incasso Bank (which merged with the Amsterdamsche Bank during construction) and the Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij (NHM) opened their so-called 'branch banks' here, because the companies had their head offices and management in Amsterdam. This building of the former Amsterdamsche Bank – Incasso Bank at Blaak 40 was designed by the reconstruction architects Kraaijvanger. The building is now a national monument. Nowadays the Chamber of Commerce is housed in the building. The facade was 'decorated' by artist Nel Klaassen, who worked on several bank buildings on Blaak. She made the vertical one around the entrance of this building decorative frames with zodiac signs and the three facade reliefs of birds. For the side facade of this building, located on Posthoornstraat, she made this coat of arms-shaped facade brick with an 'energetic figure'. The relief hangs above the entrance to a transformer house and refers to the function of this place. Klaassen has depicted a figure under tension on this one-meter-high facade stone; A (electric) wire runs from the ground to the figure's head and there are bolts around it. The ends of the arms are also pointed. Above the figure, Klaassen has also depicted elements that refer to the conversion of high voltage into current, which takes place in a transformer house.
Nel Klaassen (Arnhem, 1906 - Heemstede, 1989) was a monumental sculptor, painter, draftsman and maker of mosaics. She was a student of Jan Bronner at the Rijksacademie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. In 1932 she received the Prix de Rome for monumental and ornamental sculpture. She produced an inauguration medal for Queen Juliana. Together with other artists she was also responsible for interior decorations of various passenger ships in Rotterdam.
Coat-of-arms-shaped facade brick of "energy-ke figure"
Materials
Limestone
Dimensions
Height 1 m
Year
1950
Client
Amsterdam bank
Recruitment
Project architect EH and HM Kraaijvanger
Money source
Construction budget, involved construction assignment
Owner
Property owner
About the artwork
Immediately after the liberation, the business community helped rebuild the city. And especially the banks, because only they had sufficient financial resources to undertake construction activities. In November 1950, three new monumental bank buildings opened their doors on Blaak. The Twentsche Bank, the Incasso Bank (which merged with the Amsterdamsche Bank during construction) and the Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij (NHM) opened their so-called 'branch banks' here, because the companies had their head offices and management in Amsterdam. This building of the former Amsterdamsche Bank – Incasso Bank at Blaak 40 was designed by the reconstruction architects Kraaijvanger. The building is now a national monument. Nowadays the Chamber of Commerce is housed in the building. The facade was 'decorated' by artist Nel Klaassen, who worked on several bank buildings on Blaak. She made the vertical one around the entrance of this building decorative frames with zodiac signs and the three facade reliefs of birds. For the side facade of this building, located on Posthoornstraat, she made this coat of arms-shaped facade brick with an 'energetic figure'. The relief hangs above the entrance to a transformer house and refers to the function of this place. Klaassen has depicted a figure under tension on this one-meter-high facade stone; A (electric) wire runs from the ground to the figure's head and there are bolts around it. The ends of the arms are also pointed. Above the figure, Klaassen has also depicted elements that refer to the conversion of high voltage into current, which takes place in a transformer house.
Nel Klaassen (Arnhem, 1906 - Heemstede, 1989) was a monumental sculptor, painter, draftsman and maker of mosaics. She was a student of Jan Bronner at the Rijksacademie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. In 1932 she received the Prix de Rome for monumental and ornamental sculpture. She produced an inauguration medal for Queen Juliana. Together with other artists she was also responsible for interior decorations of various passenger ships in Rotterdam.
Coat-of-arms-shaped facade brick of "energy-ke figure"
Materials
Limestone
Dimensions
Height 1 m
Year
1950
Client
Amsterdam bank
Recruitment
Project architect EH and HM Kraaijvanger
Money source
Construction budget, involved construction assignment
Owner
Property owner
Nel Klaassen -
Untitled (1950)
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