Margot Zanstra Untitled (1971)

On 14 April 1971, alderman Van der Ploeg unveiled this sculpture, made of anthracite-coloured blocks and created by Amsterdam sculptor Margot Zanstra. This freestanding work of art resembles a wobbly construction of cubes and was placed in front of the Akragon building: the sports tower on the Schiekade, which is used by David Lloyd and is part of the former Technikon school complex. Mr DJM Dura offered the work of art to the municipality on behalf of the architect, contractors and suppliers, stating that he considered it one of the 'most expensive pieces of concrete' he had ever had cast. The sculpture was not given an official name, but the controversial municipality soon christened it 'kassie-zes', after a simple dice game. Zanstra became an artist in 1966 and this sculpture was her first major commission. She was an autodidact working at home designing clay sculptures when architect Huig Maaskant, designer of this enormous Technikon school complex, came to her home and was so impressed by the sculpture that he gave her a commission. This was the beginning of her career as an artist. She would develop a language of mathematical forms with patterns, systems and constructions of perspex. These rhythm essays are sometimes compared to De Stijl. (Source: GWJ Nieuwenhuis – Verveen, Statues, monuments and sculptures in Rotterdam, (Rotterdam, 1972), p. 70).