Gemini (1963) Per Abrams

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About the artwork

This statue is located at the association building of the Volkstuinvereniging Ons Belang in Hoogvliet. The bronze plastic was made in 1963 by the Rotterdam artist Per Abramsen. The picture is called Gemini and is an abstract representation of the Greek mythological story “Leda and the swan”. The supreme god Zeus was indeed married to the goddess Hera, but he regularly focused on earthly women. He fell in love with Leda, the wife of the Spartan king Tyndareos. When Leda was not interested in Zeus, he turned himself into a swan and overwhelmed her. According to the story, Leda had four children eight months later, two of which hatched from an egg. The artist has depicted this story in an abstract composition of interlocking and repelling shapes, resulting in a round and angular composition with space surrounded by form.

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About the artist

Per Abramsen (Rotterdam, 1941 - Rotterdam, 2018) lived and worked in Rotterdam and the south of France. He has exhibited in Marseille, Paris, Philadelphia, New York, Basel, Chicago and many Dutch museums. His work is in the collections of national and international museums. Abramsen works with a combination of constructed and organic shapes. Since 1990 he has been working with shadows, inspired by the bright light in the South of France. The interplay of light, shape and shadow is important in Abramsen's work. He has made several works in public space. He participated in various cultural committees and boards in Rotterdam and was chairman of the Professional Association of Visual Artists (BBK). As an artist he is associated with gallery RAM, for which he also designed the interior in 2001.

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