This former Martens shop features two ceramic façade strips by artist Nel Klaassen. They are abstract garlands, the ends of which emerge from shapes derived from the cornucopia (top right and bottom left). The tile tableau is highly decorative and therefore lacks any autonomous quality. The façade decoration at Hoogstraat 200 (Peek & Cloppenburg shop) is also her work. After 1950, Rotterdam, with many new buildings, also gained numerous façade decorations. Banks were built on Blaak and Coolsingel, such as the former Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij (Dutch Trading Company) at Blaak 34 and the former Incasso-Bank (Incasso Bank) at Blaak 40. These two buildings also feature decorations by Nel Klaassen, but these bank decorations primarily depict gods, nymphs, and peasants; decorations that refer to banking. Unlike the bank buildings, the shops on Hoogstraat have diverse purposes. Therefore, the facade decorations on these buildings constitute a less important group in terms of content. They primarily depict fertility and floral motifs, such as these two flower scrolls.
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.
This former Martens shop features two ceramic façade strips by artist Nel Klaassen. They are abstract garlands, the ends of which emerge from shapes derived from the cornucopia (top right and bottom left). The tile tableau is highly decorative and therefore lacks any autonomous quality. The façade decoration at Hoogstraat 200 (Peek & Cloppenburg shop) is also her work. After 1950, Rotterdam, with many new buildings, also gained numerous façade decorations. Banks were built on Blaak and Coolsingel, such as the former Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij (Dutch Trading Company) at Blaak 34 and the former Incasso-Bank (Incasso Bank) at Blaak 40. These two buildings also feature decorations by Nel Klaassen, but these bank decorations primarily depict gods, nymphs, and peasants; decorations that refer to banking. Unlike the bank buildings, the shops on Hoogstraat have diverse purposes. Therefore, the facade decorations on these buildings constitute a less important group in terms of content. They primarily depict fertility and floral motifs, such as these two flower scrolls.
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.
