Untitled (1968) Pierre van Soest
Since 1968, this colorful work of art has been on a 32 meter long wall of a power station in the Oudelandspark in Hoogvliet. The work was created by visual artist Pierre van Soest. This picturesque frieze, mounted on 136 enameled steel plates, has been said to contain 136 colours, but find out. This sensual world of paint smears is based on plant and animal motifs and is funded by the government's percentage scheme for art in construction contracts. This also applied to the Electricity Company Zuid-Holland (EZH), to which this high-voltage station designed by architect Wim Quist (1930-2022) belonged at the time. The building and artwork are beautifully situated on a lake in a park, where there are benches to enjoy this view.
In the late 1940s, Pierre van Soest (Venlo, 1930 – Amsterdam, 2001) attended the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. In 1953 and 1954 he received the Royal Subsidy for free painting. From 1964 he lived alternately in Amsterdam and in Helle (South Limburg). At that time he became a teacher at the Ateliers '63 in Haarlem. Afterwards, from 1972 to 1987, he taught at the academy in Den Bosch. He has worked extensively in monumental art, making wall paintings and concrete reliefs in public and private buildings in the Netherlands, especially in Amsterdam. Van Soest's work is represented in various public collections, including Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.