This is a typical example of the work of Kunst & Vaarwerk, the triumvirate consisting of Hans Citroen, Willem van Drunen and Cor Kraat, which has been of great importance to Rotterdam's art history. They have given a new impetus to art in public space with pop-art-like sculptures; interventions in the existing environment by transforming obvious shapes into giant copies of everyday objects. This one Hat box is an example of this. Is it art or is it advertising? According to Kunst & Vaarwerk, a work can be both if it is properly integrated. In an interview, the makers stated: “You have to paint those tanks regularly. Why not do a bit more, also by way of promotion ”. In 1999 the company name changed from Pakhoed to Vopak, which forced the logo on the tank to change. The blue label that comes out from under the lid is an artfully fictitious Kunst & Vaarwerk label. The object is clearly visible from the motorway and is a successful and unique art application in the port area.
Kunst & Vaarwerk was an artist group consisting of Cor Kraat (1946), Hans Citroen (1946) and Willem van Drunen (1947) and existed from 1979 to 1992. Kunst & Vaarwerk was a Dutch pop-art variant, which hit back with humor and irony to the harsh urbanity. The scale of the port city called for an art of stature and brutality, but it is also an art against forgetfulness. The group collaborated with the Rotterdam business community to finance the projects and has realized various works in public space.
Painting of a hatbox (buckle, logo and label) on a tank
Materials
Paint
Dimensions
Height 8 m
Year
1983
Client
Pakhoed Container Service
Recruitment
Artists initiative
Money source
Pakhoed Holding BV
Owner
Vopak (real estate owner)
About the artwork
This is a typical example of the work of Kunst & Vaarwerk, the triumvirate consisting of Hans Citroen, Willem van Drunen and Cor Kraat, which has been of great importance to Rotterdam's art history. They have given a new impetus to art in public space with pop-art-like sculptures; interventions in the existing environment by transforming obvious shapes into giant copies of everyday objects. This one Hat box is an example of this. Is it art or is it advertising? According to Kunst & Vaarwerk, a work can be both if it is properly integrated. In an interview, the makers stated: “You have to paint those tanks regularly. Why not do a bit more, also by way of promotion ”. In 1999 the company name changed from Pakhoed to Vopak, which forced the logo on the tank to change. The blue label that comes out from under the lid is an artfully fictitious Kunst & Vaarwerk label. The object is clearly visible from the motorway and is a successful and unique art application in the port area.
Kunst & Vaarwerk was an artist group consisting of Cor Kraat (1946), Hans Citroen (1946) and Willem van Drunen (1947) and existed from 1979 to 1992. Kunst & Vaarwerk was a Dutch pop-art variant, which hit back with humor and irony to the harsh urbanity. The scale of the port city called for an art of stature and brutality, but it is also an art against forgetfulness. The group collaborated with the Rotterdam business community to finance the projects and has realized various works in public space.
Painting of a hatbox (buckle, logo and label) on a tank
Materials
Paint
Dimensions
Height 8 m
Year
1983
Client
Pakhoed Container Service
Recruitment
Artists initiative
Money source
Pakhoed Holding BV
Owner
Vopak (real estate owner)
Kunst & Vaarwerk -
Hat box (1983)
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