Untitled (1956) Frans Tuinstra
In front of the entrance on the east side of the Maastorenflat, a bronze frame in which a ceramic lace relief has been applied above the stairs. What is special about the work is that it hangs freely and that you can see between the parts of the relief. The performance is a sequence of dockworkers, sailing ships, fish, a mermaid, cranes, ropes and a ship's bow; a typical topic for the reconstruction era. In terms of style, it is modern, stylized, graphic, with cubist influences. Another work of art hangs on the north facade, which was also made by artist Frans Tuinstra. The Maastorenflat is a beautiful ensemble with its two reliefs.
Sculptor Frans Tuinstra (Maastricht, 1923 - Eindhoven, 2006) studied from 1941 to 1946 in his hometown of Maastricht, after which he specialized in Christian religious performances. He graduates simultaneously with artist Piet Killaars. He comes to work at a ceramics company in Tegelen in Limburg, where there is also a department of fine plastics. In 1956 he resigns and establishes himself as an independent ceramist, until his retirement in 1988.