Menhir (1991) Huib Noorlander

photo BKOR archive
About the artwork

On 28 September 1991, then-Mayor Bram Peper unveiled this artwork in Park Rozenburg, made by the Rotterdam sculptor Huib Noorlander. The work is a gift to the residents of Rotterdam from Galerie Maas, who celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. The work was named Menhir, but is popularly called 'Maasbeeld' after the donor of the statue. The 'Maas image' is formed by a hardwood and rectangular post with a large bronze mantle at the top. It depicts the relationship between Rotterdam and water. Originally there was a simple slope of gray-blue cobblestones around the statue, but the stones were regularly removed for throwing, so that after years the slope was completely removed. Park Rozenburg was also given a monumental status in 2006, which means that the entire park has been returned to its original state as much as possible. Galerie Maas was located at 159 Oudedijk near Park Rozenburg.

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About the artist

Huib Noorlander (Schiebroek, 1928 - Nijmegen, 2004) was a figurative sculptor. In 1951 he founded the artist group together with Louis van Roode, Jan Burgerhout, Kees French, Jan Goedhart, Charles Kemper and Ed van Zanden Argus on. On the occasion of the 100 anniversary of the Holland America Line, he made a picture of it Cauldron Twinkle (1973). A replica of this has been in the Maritime Museum Rotterdam since 1998. A reduced version is awarded annually as a Ketelbinkie prize. Various images of Noorlander can be found in Rotterdam. Reading girl en The family were originally made of natural stone, but after being damaged a bronze cast was made of both statues. In the 1960s, Noorlander and artist Joeki Simak formed the most famous artist couple in Rotterdam.

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