Cow (1976) Robbert Jan F. Donker

photo BKOR archive
About the artwork

In the 1976s, artist Robbert Jan F. Donker was commissioned to make a sculpture in stone as part of the Visual Arts Regulation (BKR). In the fall of XNUMX he made this in about three months Cow with hammer and chisel. The Cow still stands on the meadow on the Kromhoutstraat, a spot chosen by the artist. The statue is a reminder of the XNUMXs, when 'Het Lage Land' was populated by cows. Due to abuse, the Cow ears and horns are regularly kept, which are then kept by observant local residents. The Cow has been restored a number of times, the last time in 2000. On that occasion, Donker worked the surface of the cow's skin with a bush hammer to give the skin a relief. According to Donker, the cow is of the breed 'une blonde de Aquitaine'. As the name suggests, this breed originated in the southwestern French region of Aquitaine.

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About the artist

Robbert Jan Donker (Amsterdam, 1943 - Rotterdam, 2016) studied at the Academy of Visual Arts in Rotterdam from 1960 to 1965. These years turned him into a 'native Rotterdammer' with a great fondness for the Kralingen district. The work of sculptor Donker is characterized by the creation of human figures, reliefs and especially animal figures in bronze and stone.

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