Armchair (1987) Dora Dolz

This ceramic armchair with round armrests and a fan-shaped backrest was placed on the initiative of artist Dora Dolz. In the summer of 1986, the sculpture was part of a sculpture route that was organized on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Help and Information Center (HIC) of the municipality. The seven hundred kilo chair was placed on the corner of Hoogstraat and Mariniersweg in front of the entrance of the Central Library. The chair was destroyed in the second weekend of July. The broken chair was stored in the basement of the library and the artist was furious about the vandalism. Dolz was able to gather the pieces of her thousands of guilders costing object. “What the Germans have not flattened, the Rotterdammers themselves will destroy”, the Barcelona-based academy teacher told a reporter from Het Vrije Volk the day after the destruction. She went to work in the parking garage with a pot of cement to glue the debris. The chair was then transported by crane to her house on the Heemraadssingel, where the artist had it placed on the sidewalk demonstratively. “It's the first action of my life,” said Dolz. “I think it is important that you stand up against vandalism, that you do not let yourself be deterred. Well, that chair is definitely gone, but as it stands now, it is a tribute to the invincibility of art. Art cannot be broken ”. (Source: Het Vrije Volk, March 28, 1987)