The Rotterdam Public Sculpture Top 22
Every city has its statues and other works of art. But in Rotterdam, the artworks tend to be a bit larger than elsewhere. The city boasts a striking number of sculptures so large that you can walk right through them. Naturally, in such a spacious post-war city centre, there’s also a bit more room to really go all out. But also in surrounding neighbourhoods as well as the port area, we come across some oversized objects.
A few years ago I compiled a top 10 list of Rotterdam’s best public artworks, in my humble opinion. But I soon realised I’d left a few out. And, of course, new artworks are occasionally added to the public space. That’s why the top 10 has over time expanded to a top 22, with potential for further growth. All 22 can be found on the map below; just zoom out a bit for numbers 6, 13, 17 and 20.
22: The Bijenkorf Stone
Artist: Hendrik van den Eijnde; year: 1930
Location: Coolsingel; public transport: Beurs metro
Over the course of time, I have written about four blog posts about the number 22 of this list, all of which have now been merged into a single page. The facade stone of the old Bijenkorf might well deserve to be a bit higher in the rankings. On the other hand: this is the only artwork in Rotterdam that I have actively been involved in, and I do not want to give the impression of being biased. That is why I am opening the list with it.
The story has been told many times: the sculpture De Werkende Mens (The Working Man) by sculptor Hendrik van den Eijnde adorned the facade of the old Bijenkorf depratment store for thirty years. After the demolition of that building in 1960, the artwork disappeared into a dark basement beneath the new Bijenkorf. Subsequently, it stood languishing for decades on an industrial estate in Woerden.
It is thanks to the tireless efforts of many art-loving fellow citizens that the facade stone has been back in Rotterdam since 2024. Almost in the same spot as before: 35 meters further north and 5 meters lower. And for those wondering why the stone is placed at an angle relative to the Coolsingel: actually, the stone stands straight, while the Coolsingel runs at an angle.
21: The Marathon Sculpture
Artist: Henk Visch; year: 2001
Location: Erasmus Bridge; public transport: Leuvehaven metro
When this sculpture was unveiled in 2001, it just stood along the route of the marathon. In the meantime, the start has been moved from the Coolsingel to the foot of the Erasmus Bridge, making the location even more perfect. Here, after the traditional “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, the 17,000 runners begin their 42.195 meters.
The steel sculpture consists of twenty polygonal planes in just as many different colors. This represents the diversity of the participants, who indeed come from all over the globe and differ greatly from one another, but all share a love for running. Because there isn’t much color in the surroundings otherwise—the bridge is white, the square is gray, the neighboring hotel is black—all those colors really stand out.
Nameplates have been placed in the pedestal featuring all the winners, men and women, since the start of the marathon in 1981. By the middle of the century, the entire pedestal will be full; by then, a creative solution will surely be devised to continue honoring the champions.
20: The Windscreen
Artists: Maarten Struijs, Frans de Wit; Year: 1985
Location: Neckarweg; public transport: Volgerweg bus stop (Rozenburg)
With its length of 1,700 meters, you would think the windbreak along the Caland Canal must be the largest artwork within the city limits. But no, something even bigger is coming up further down this list.
The question, of course, is whether this functional concrete structure is actually art. After all, the windbreak was installed to prevent the large car carriers in the canal from getting into trouble during strong southwesterly winds. However, the screen can certainly be found on the BKOR map of the Center for Visual Arts Rotterdam.
In any case, it is an imposing structure, in which the designers clearly did their best to make it more than a boring wall. The screen is divided into smaller units, some straight, others curved. Some wind still comes through the openings in between, but I suspect this works better structurally than a completely closed wall.
My only point of criticism is that the windscreen is somewhat untouchable and difficult to access. A nice walking path along those 1700 meters would certainly add something.
19: The Warm Hand
Artist: Hans Lemmen; year: 2001
Location: Goudsesingel/Mariniersweg; public transport: Blaak metro
On the corner of the Goudsesingel and the Mariniersweg stands a somewhat stubby bronze tree with an outstretched hand. The artwork, officially named The Tree, was created on the initiative of the Groene Passage, the nearby people- and environment-friendly shopping center (tip: the buffet at restaurant Spirit is so delicious and richly stocked that even the biggest carnivore will spontaneously turn into a vegetarian).
The fun part is: inside the hand is a heating element that keeps the temperature of the bronze permanently at 37 degrees, body temperature. This makes shaking The Tree’s hand an attraction, especially on cold winter days. This has indeed happened frequently since 2001, so that the bronze on the hand has started to shine beautifully from all the touching.
18: The Open Door
Artist: Gavin Turk; year: 2021
Location: Wilhelminapier; public transport: Wilhelminaplein metro
The official name of this artwork is L’Âge d’Or, or The Golden Age. It stands a stone’s throw from the owner, Museum Fenix, which has given the work to the Municipality of Rotterdam on long-term loan. The open door therefore fits perfectly in this location and within the theme of migration, as a symbol of hope, of the possibility of starting a new life. Starting a new life is something that approximately three million fortune seekers have done over time by leaving for America from this location.
The door looks as if it is made of wood, but is actually made of bronze. And at 3.5 meters, the door is also somewhat larger than an average door. However, this artwork is not entirely unique. L’Âge d’Or is a series of eight doors that differ in color, shape, and handle. But as far as I have been able to ascertain, this is the only one that stands permanently in a public space.
It is very obviously an artwork that invites the viewer to become part of it, namely by walking through it themselves. And judging by the worn spot in the grass, that invitation is accepted very often.
17: The Tiny House
Artist: John Körmeling; year: 2000
Location: Reeweg; public transport: Antonie Bodaanweg bus stop
You also come across art right in the middle of the Rotterdam port area. On top of the customs office building stands a wooden “pioneer house”, overlooking the container terminals at the Eemhaven. You could even say that the house floats, because the legs on which it stands are very slender. It is a small cottage, six by four meters, but it does have two floors, a veranda, and a small balcony. And there even is a stove. So you would expect an artist in residence to be living there, but then you have underestimated the Dutch culture of rules. After all, the permits for the cottage were granted only on the express condition that it would never be inhabited.
Anyway, if someone were actually living in it, the question would naturally arise again as to whether it is art or not. And for now, it certainly is, standing stubbornly commenting on the pioneers who once left Rotterdam for the Wild West.
16 Waterwoods
Artist: NEXT Architects/H+N+S Landschapsarchitecten; year: 2019
Location: Eiland van Brienenoord; Public transport: Stadion Feyenoord tram stop
The Waterwoud at the western tip of the Island of Brienenoord also raises the question: is this an artwork or a functional object, or both? There’s often a thin line between them. This Corten steel viewpoint is not listed on the aforementioned BKOR map, so it’s obviously not considered art by the experts.
But this is my blog and my list, so if I say something is art, then it is art. Within the boundaries of the blog, at least. And the Waterwoud fits perfectly on the list, among all those other artworks you can walk through or under. In fact, it was specifically designed to be climbed, or to descend almost to the adjacent sandbank.
The Waterwoud is a gift to the city from dredging firm Van Oord, for which I say: thanks a lot! Upon completion in 2019, it was presented as the first in a series of Maaspoints, “experiential spots designed to strengthen the relationship between Rotterdammers and the river by bringing residents into direct contact with the cyclical ecology of the water.” However, little has come of those other Maaspoints so far. In any case: this first experiential spot, with its unique vistas into the new tidal nature as well as its beautiful view of the city, fulfills the objective perfectly.
15: The Fisherman
Artist: Ger Bout; year: 2006
Location: Charloisse Hoofd; public transport: Charloisse Hoofd bus stop
On the bank of the river Nieuwe Maas, near the pedestrian entrance to the Maastunnel, a ten-meter-high steel fisherman has been fishing since 2006. It is the result of a project by the Rotterdam architect and artist Ger Bout (1950-2017), who had actually conceived the structure for Helsinki. His wife was from Finland, so he had his contacts there. In 2000, the Finnish capital was one of the European Capitals of Culture, and as part of that, the Fisherman was to be assembled by students. However, after much preparatory work, the Helsinki municipality cancelled the project at the last minute because it was deemed impossible.
“Impossible”, we don’t know that word in Rotterdam. Kenniet bestaat niet. So, a few years later, the Fisherman was constructed after all, but at his current spot on the Charloisse Hoofd. Hundreds of students from various study programs contributed to it, making calculations and welding the parts together. Actually, the artwork was only supposed to remain standing for a year, but the Fisherman is still fishing, and as far as I’m concerned, he can stay. Incidentally, a second Fisherman was planned as a gift to the city of Istanbul, but to date, that one has not (yet) materialized.
14: Sylvette
Artist: Pablo Picasso/Carl Nesjar; year: 1970
Location: Westersingel; public transport: Eendrachtsplein metro
There won’t be many cities that can say they have a Picasso, right on the street. Admittedly a co-production with the Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar, but still… Rotterdam has one (Amsterdam too, by the way, but that is another story).
Nesjar had devised a way to enlarge Picasso’s sketches into meter-high concrete sculptures. He mixed small black basalt stones into the concrete; by subsequently removing the concrete with sandblasting, he could, as it were, draw on the concrete.
The 7.5-meter-high sculpture on the Westersingel is named Sylvette, after Picasso’s muse who served as the inspiration for around forty of his sketches and paintings. A girl with a ponytail whom we would consider an influencer today, because her example led many girls in Paris and far beyond to start wearing ponytails.
The municipality purchased Sylvette in 1970 for the C’70 event to celebrate 25 years of post-war reconstruction. The sculpture initially stood in front of the railway station but was later moved to its current location near the Boymans Museum. And so, at that spot, during the museum’s years-long closure, there’s at least one artwork to be admired.
13: The Fox
Artist: Florentijn Hofman; Year: 2020
Location: Schiedamseweg; public transport: Marconiplein metro
Florentijn Hofman is known for his large animal artworks. For instance, he created giant rubber ducks that have floated around many places in the world, from Baku to Osaka and from Hasselt to Hong Kong. Furthermore, he made a bear for Amsterdam and an aardvark for Arnhem. The ten-meter-high fox on the Schiedamsedijk, made of steel and concrete with a plastic coating, therefore fits perfectly into his oeuvre.
The Bospolder Fox symbolizes nature sometimes invading the city in unexpected ways. Foxes are reportedly sighted regularly in the neighbourhood of Bospolder. The rabbits in the adjacent Dakpark might well have a magnetic pull.
The plastic bag the fox is holding in its mouth has actually become a bit of an anachronism, because you don’t get those anymore these days. And thankfully so.
12: The Big Feet
Artist: Ben Zegers; year 2020
Location: Binnenrotte; public transport: metro Blaak
The history of Everyone is Dead Except For Us, as the 7.5 meter high aluminum feet on Binnenrotte square are officially called, spans almost thirty years. After the remains of the oldest sluice in the Rotte were found during the construction of the railway tunnel in 1991, the idea arose to mark this location with a work of art. After all, this is the place where Rotterdam originated. A citizens’ initiative was launched and the city council passed a resolution. But it took decades before money became available and an artist was chosen. Ultimately, the artwork was unveiled in September 2020, as the final piece of the redesign of the square.
To be honest, I don’t really understand the official title of the sculpture and also the link with that old sluice is a mystery to me. But I don’t want to sound grumpy; art must above all just be beautiful and that requirement is definitely fulfilled. The two feet are heavy and coarse as well as playful and (literally) light-footed at the same time. And if the idea behind it is that we as Rotterdam’s inhabitants should always work together to try to make the best out of life, I can of course only agree.
11: The Matrasses
Artist: George Rickey; year: 1971
Location: Binnenwegplein; public transport: metro Beurs
The official name of this structure is Two Turning Vertical Rectangles .And of all the works of art discussed on this page, it is the only one that moves. The two rectangles rotate independently of one another, pushed by the wind, which looks quite spectacular, especially during strong winds.
For more than forty years, the two mattresses, as they were popularly called, turned undisturbed. But in 2012 something went wrong with the redesign of the square. The ground level was raised a bit during the renovation. And as a result the rectangles at their lowest point were now only 2.10 meters above the square. This was considered too dangerous, also because of the growing tallness of the average Dutch person. The statue was removed and provided with a higher base. Apparently that had to take three years because the rotating rectangles did not return until 2015. And then a truck crashed into them, severely damaging the sculpture. This time it took five years to bring them back, perfectly restored and surrounded by little posts to prevent another encounter with a truck.
Hopefully the mattresses will now move freely for another forty years at least. And by the way, two hundred meters down Karel Doormanstraat, on the facade of the Schouwburg, there is also a recently restored kinetic artwork by Rickey: the Three Columns.
10: The Thing
Artist: Naum Gabo; year: 1957
Location: Coolsingel; public transport: metro Beurs
According to the urban plan, the Bijenkorf building should have had an extension protruding in the direction of Coolsingel, like it was done at nearby Aert van Nesstraat and Stadhuisplein. Marcel Breuer, the architect of the department store, however, had a simple square building in his head. So he asked the Russian artist Naum Gabo to make a large sculpture for that spot. And the supervisors from the city of Rotterdam agreed with that.
Gabo didn’t give his sculpture a title. That’s always a bit of a weakness; you can wait for the people to come up with a nickname. In this case: the Thing.
The disadvantage of a 26 meter high work of art is that the maintenance is not cheap. After more than half a century a major refurbishment was necessary, but who was going to pay for it? Fortunately, the funding issue was solved in the end and The Thing was thoroughly restored in the winter of 2017/2018. It’s looking great again, in anticipation of the much needed refurbishment of the Coolsingel itself, which will take place in the coming years.
9: The Clothesline
Artist: Auke de Vries; year: 1983
Location: Northern head of the Willemsbridge; public transport: metro Blaak
The official name for this artwork is Maasbeeld, named after the river it is hovering above. But in practice everyone uses the nickname De Waslijn, or The Clothesline. I assume that it is one of the very few sculptures on our planet that is suspended, rather than standing on a pedestal. This line with apparently random forms connects the new Willemsbridge, opened in 1981, with the abutment of the old bridge.
I can vaguely remember a guest lecture by Auke de Vries during my years as an Architecture student at Delft University of Technology. He explained that scribbles that make people out of boredom during dull meetings are an important source of inspiration for him.
8: Birthplace of Erasmus
Artist: Diana de Graaf, Maaike Disco, Reinier de Gooijer; year: 2016
Location: Grotekerkplein; public transport: metro Blaak
Although he lived here only as a toddler, Rotterdam is very proud of Erasmus. Among other things, a bridge, a university, a street, a pharmacy and a hotel are named after him. And rightly so: someone who already in the fifteenth century said things like: “The whole world is my homeland” and “Let everyone honor their own conviction without insulting someone else’s”, that’s certainly not a guy to be ashamed of.
Desiderius Erasmus was born in 1466 in a small house on an alley between Hoogstraat and Laurenskerk. The building has been there for centuries, but was finally demolished in the late nineteenth century. Because the whole area was destroyed during the bombing in 1940, it was difficult to say where exactly the house had been. But since 2016 the place has been marked with a cartoonish building covered with Delft blue tiles with the portrait and texts of the big man.
Desiderius himself, a few dozen meters away on his pedestal in the park in front of the church, looks content. Incidentally, that is the oldest bronze statue in the Netherlands; good to have it within the city limits as well.
7: The Fire Limit
Artist: West 8; year: 2010
Location: Cool, Oude Noorden, Crooswijk, Kralingen; public transport: water bus stop Erasmusbrug and from there walk 12 kilometers
This is by far the largest piece of art on this list. And maybe it’s even the largest artwork in the world. The Brandgrens, or Fire Limit, surrounds the area that was destroyed during the bombing on 14 May 1940 and the sunsequent fire. That disaster zone had an area of many square kilometers; the total length of the Fire Limit is twelve kilometers.
In 2007 and 2008 the line was made visible on 14 May with a large number of spotlights. That was an impressive event and should, in my opinion, be repeated once every five years or so. The lights that mark the Fire Limit since 2010 are more subtle. They are a great guiding line for a city walk. In some places the transition between old and new is immediately recognizable. In other places, the border has completely faded due to post-war demolition. But it is in any case a surprising way to look at the city with different eyes.
Incidentally, ignorant tourists sometimes think the lights are the work of the devil. But well, it was pretty devilish, that bombardment.
6: The Sand Guard
Artist: Observatorium; year: 2015
Location: Second Maasvlakte; public transport: bus stop Oostvoorne Dorp and rent a bike there
Most of the artworks in this top-10 are located in downtown Rotterdam, or within walking distance from there. De Zandwacht, or Sand Guard, however is located about 34 kilometers away, at the foot of a spectacular hairpin bend on Second Maasvlakte, the recently reclaimed industrial zone in the Northsea. But officially that area is part of the municipality of Rotterdam.
The concrete artwork represents the formation of dunes by the wind. And this sculpture is pretty big too: 40 by 20 meters and 12 meters high. You can not just walk through it; you can almost get lost in it. But in the vastness of the Maasvlakte and the North Sea, those dimensions are certainly justified.
5: The Lost Pearl
Artist: Madeleine Berkhemer; year: 2015
Location: The Park; public transport: tram 8, Euromast / Erasmus MC stop
Another artwork that you can walk through. In fact, you can climb over it and even crawl through it. The Lost Pearl is therefore popular with children and that is fine because this pearl necklace was not only intended as a work of art but also as a playing object.
The natural stone spheres connected with ship’s rope can be seen from almost the entire park because they contrast well with the green of the grass and (in summer) the trees. They have a kind of naturalness, as if they have always been there, rather than since only a few years. As if a giantess long ago lost her necklace. Which reminds me of the legend that a giant is buried under the nearby Euromast.
4: The Buttplug Gnome
Artist: Paul McCarthy; year: 2001
Location: Eendrachtsplein; public transport: metro Eendrachtsplein
This giant bronze gnome deserves a place in the top 10 if only for the story that can be told about him. His name is Santa Claus and the object he has in his right hand is a Christmas tree. But when someone with a depraved mind said it was a sex toy, all hell broke loose. How do you explain that to your children? Well, maybe by telling them it’s a rocket ice cream.
Plans to place gnome Claus near De Doelen concert hall or at Koopgoot shopping mall were cancelled after protests from local residents and shopkeepers. Out of despair, it was then decided to place the sculpture in the courtyard of Museum Boymans for the time being.
But then the change came: the entrepreneurs of Oude Binnenweg started lobbying to get Santa to Eendrachtsplein. And that has been a great success since 2008. It’s the statue that every tourist visiting the city wants to make a selfie with. Kind of what Manneken Pis is for Brussels, just a lot bigger.
3: The New Delft Gate
Artist: Cor Kraat; year: 1995
Location: Pompenburg; public transport: metro Stadhuis
This orange-brown steel construction was unveiled in 1995 on the occasion of fifty years of post-war reconstruction. Inside the structure are a number of lions and other decorations from the original gate that stood on Hofplein until 1940.
It is stated on a plaque that the gate was destroyed during the bombing on May 14 of that year. But in reality the monument had already been largely demolished when the bombs fell, because of a redevelopment of the traffic junction. It was the intention to rebuild the gate somewhere else on Hofplein, but that never happened. Until Cor Kraat made this steel replica in 1995.
The old gate was not exactly on this spot but on the other side of the Pompenburg, near the (former) Shell Tower.
2: Ode to Marten Toonder
Artists: de Artoonisten; year: 2002
Location: Westblaak / Binnenrotte corner; public transport: metro Blaak
Marten Toonder (1912 – 2005), the Netherlands most renowned cartoonist, lived in Ireland for much of his life. But he was born in Rotterdam and he spent the first decades of his life there. That’s reason enough to dedicate a sculpture to him and his work. However in Den Bommel, a little village down south, where there was already a Toonder monument, they didn’t like that idea.
Toonder’s most famous character, Ollie B. Bommel is the big absentee on this image, because of that conflict with Den Bommel. Instead we see four other notorious inhabitants of cartoon city Rommeldam on the baroque stone bench: mayor Dickerdack, marquis De Cantecler, professor Sickbock and painter Terpen Tijn. At the very top of the obelisk is a fifth character: Tom Poes. The statue has been on this spot since the 90th anniversary of Toonder, apart from a number of years that it was stored elsewhere because of the refurbishment of Binnenrotte square.
1: The Destroyed City
Artist: Ossip Zadkine; year: 1953
Location: Plein 1940; public transport: metro Beurs
If there is one work that needs to be on any Rotterdam sculpture list, it is this war memorial by Ossip Zadkine. Just like the Euromast and the Erasmus Bridge, the image has become a symbol of the entire city.
Zadkine depicts the devastation and despair caused by the bombing of May 14, 1940. I can not walk past it without thinking of that gruesome event. When the statue was unveiled in 1953 it stood on an empty plain; it is gratifying that in the meantime a new city has risen around it.
I have heard from a reliable source that the granite of the pedestal was actually intended for a statue of Hitler. If true, it shows that history has a sense of humour.
Did I forget a work of art? Or are there sculptures in this top-22 that don’t belong there, in your modest opinion? Tell the world in the comments below!
