Date: Thursday 7 April 2022
Start: 17.00 hour
Location: Hall Staal, Beursplein 37
We would like to invite you to the book presentation of Gabo: Portrait of a Sculpture on Thursday 7 April in Zaal Staal. This publication is the result of many years of collaboration between publisher Jap Sam Books, Sculpture International Rotterdam (SIR) and BKOR. The book is about one of the most famous works of art in Rotterdam; the untitled sculpture for the department store De Bijenkorf on the Coolsingel made by the Russian-American artist Naum Gabo (1890-1977).
reserve here your free ticket.
PROGRAM
Ove Lucas (director CBK Rotterdam) will discuss the publication with Dees Linders (initiator of the publication and artistic director of SIR until 2019) and Patricia van Ulzen (author). Afterwards there will be a lecture by Sjeng Scheijen (specialist Russian art of the early 20th century). century), followed by the presentation of the first book copy with a festive toast to 'the thing'. The musical accompaniment is provided by the Gabosingers.
Prior to the book presentation, the video recordings of the browsing sessions with some authors were made by Arthur Bueno (documentary maker).
PUBLICATION
The reason for this publication was the long-awaited restoration of the sculpture that took place in 2017 and 2018. In Gabo: Portrait of a Sculpture describes the turbulent life of this world-famous work of art. The main text is written by art, architecture and cultural historian Patricia van Ulzen. Her meticulous research adds a whole new episode to Gabo's biography and this sculpture. With his art Gabo fought his whole life, living in various places in the world, for the freedom of thought and for the imagination. The ingenious sculpture that he bequeathed to Rotterdam defies time and can be filled with meaning time and again. In this way the artwork continues to dance; in the middle of the street and for everyone.
ARTWORK
'The thing' or 'the stylized flower', as the work of 26 meters high and 40.000 kilograms is also called, was the icon of modernity on the Coolsingel at the time. In 2011, the Bijenkorf building and the artwork were declared a national monument from the reconstruction period. The spatial construction from 1957, together with the works of art by Ossip Zadkine and Henry Moore, is seen as one of the three figureheads of the Rotterdam sculpture collection.
Z-FILES, ART AND THE CITY
BKOR and SIR work closely together to strengthen and renew Rotterdam's public space. This is how they organize Z-Files (with the Z for Zadkine) about art and the city in which art, public space and the city are discussed through lectures, presentations and excursions. The aim of the program is to draw attention to the special collection of works of art in the public space of Rotterdam and to shed light on current developments in the city.
