Untitled (1982) Hans van der Plas

photo Otto Snoek
About the artwork

The art that Hans van der Plas designed for the Oostplein metro station explicitly refers to the Marines and the Marines barracks that stood on Oostplein before the Second World War. This Marines Barracks was destroyed in the bombing in May 1940. A sandstone tympanum has been preserved and was placed by Van der Plas above the south entrance of metro station Oostplein, which opened on May 10, 1982. This is near the Marine monument created by Titus Leeser. Fragments of the gate of the old Marine Barracks have been built into the wall of travertine tiles. Hans van der Plas had also designed three display cases for the corridor from the station hall to the exit. In the display cases were images of the Marine barracks destroyed in the bombing, a typographic text about it by Emile Puetman and an image of the gate. Also on the other side, the west corridor, were two groups of three display cases, which together formed a conceptual series. All showcases were so damaged that they were removed by the RET. The underground shop of this station used to be used as an art gallery by the NRP group (Nieuw Rotterdams Peil).

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About the artist

The Rotterdam artist Hans van der Plas (Rotterdam, 1925 - Rotterdam, 1991) is a son of monumental artist Adriaan van der Plas. He attended the Rotterdam Academy for Visual Arts, after which he developed into a versatile artist. He trained himself in various techniques, for free work (gouaches, graphics) and on commission. He made a number of murals, stained-glass windows and sculptures, the XNUMXs being his most productive period. Van der Plas frequently chose Rotterdam as a source of inspiration.

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