Mural from 1961 will be given a new place in the Doelen on March 25th

On Friday 25 March, the mural 'Untitled' (1961), which the Rotterdam artist Louis van Roode (1914-1964) made for the former Dijkzigt hospital, will be festively unveiled in De Doelen. The artwork was rescued from demolition on behalf of BKOR, a program of CBK Rotterdam, and can now be admired in the foyer of the Willem Burgerzaal.

In connection with the demolition of the former Dijkzigt hospital, BKOR was asked to advise on several building-related works of art. This showed that Van Roode's mural is a key work in his oeuvre: irreplaceable and indispensable.

After an intensive research project by restorer and fresco painter Annelies Toebes, the painting was removed from the original wall using a special technique and retouched. By means of strain the work was transferred to ten panels. Architect Dimitri Kruithof was commissioned to design the mounting system and mounting it on the wall. Filmmaker Christiaan van Schermbeek documented the project from start to finish. He interviewed various key figures about their vision of Van Roode's work and the importance of preserving reconstruction art. His movie The time travel of Louis van Roode, a second life for reconstruction art (commissioned by Moois Cinematics and CBK Rotterdam) will premiere after an introduction by art historian and journalist Sandra Smets. The screening will be followed by a talk with Siebe Thissen, Woody van Amen and Janneke Staarink conducted by Dore van Duivenbode, after which the work will be presented.

Director Janneke Staarink: “We are extremely proud that De Doelen can add this work of art by Van Roode to its art collection and in this way contribute to the preservation of special heritage. The mural will be part of the new art route of De Doelen, in which, in addition to beautiful post-war works, work by contemporary artists will also be on display.. "

Project leader Marjolijn van der Meijden of CBK Rotterdam: “With the preservation and revitalization of the mural by Louis van Roode on behalf of BKOR and the relocation in De Doelen, both parties are sending a clear signal on how to deal with post-war heritage. It is a wonderful and hopeful example for other parties who have to make decisions about its future. "

Program
Vrijdag 25 March 2022
15.30 | main entrance Great Hall | walk in
16.00 | Van Cappellen Room | reception
16.10 | Introduction Sandra Smets
16.25 | premiere movie
17.00 | talk with Siebe Thissen, Woody van Amen and Janneke Staarink conducted by Dore van Duivenbode
17.25 | unveiling and toast with DJ Benjamin Herman
19.00 | end of program

Art collection de Doelen
De Doelen has a considerable (post-war) art collection, including the recently restored statue Curved Shape (1962) by the world famous English artist Barbara Hepworth (1903-1972). On March 8, 2022, International Women's Day, the foyer where the statue stands was renamed the Barbara Hepworth Foyer.

About Louis van Roode
Louis van Roode is one of the most prominent artists of the reconstruction period in Rotterdam. He made many murals and mosaics in and on buildings that tell their own story about nature, culture, people and the cosmos. All this under the influence of the modernity of post-war Rotterdam. Several works by his hand can be seen in Rotterdam, such as the mosaic Erasmus trip (1954) on the Coolsingel or the 57 meter high glass-in-concrete facade of the former Station Post Office from 1959. His last mural was commissioned by the municipal Dijkzigt hospital. On March 6, 1960, the artist says about his abstract wall painting: “This is the idea behind it: the branches express an association with nature, but also symbolize unity – just like the different departments of a hospital work together. But the design is sketchy because it concerns the wall painting itself. I don't want to plan and philosophize too much in order to put the painting on the wall fresh and spontaneously.”