X
VIEW ALL RESULTS
VIEW ALL RESULTS
    X
    X
    VIEW ALL RESULTS
    VIEW ALL RESULTS
      • Professional Services

      Forbes Travel Guide Stories

      Art, Events

      Walk Amsterdam’s Outdoor Sculpture Route This Summer
      By Correspondent Cecily Layzell

      June 26, 2013

      SB-AmsterdamSculptures-Credit-ARTZUID-JWKaldenbach

      Venture to Amsterdam’s Apollolaan avenue this summer, and you might mistake the larger-than-life man with bright fuchsia pants and a neon pumpkin-shaped head dominating the street as some kind of local mascot or marketing icon. A gimmick it is not — it’s a sculpture by Austrian Erwin Wurm, one of 58 international artists participating in this year’s ARTZUID, a fantastical outdoor sculpture route now on display in the Dutch capital.

      Started by local residents in 2009, the free activity is organized every two years in Oud Zuid, a genteel district south of the city’s Canal Belt. Its aim is as much to promote world-class art as it is to draw attention to the district’s Amsterdam School architecture, an early 20th-century style characterized by lavishly embellished facades, decorative wrought iron and stained glass.

      Former Rijksmuseum director and curator Henk van Os selected daring pieces for the city’s premier open-air art event this summer. Focusing on the theme of “Engagement,” the 70 sculptures are perhaps more audacious than in past years. Two prime examples are Joep van Lieshout’s Wellness Skull, a giant skull-cum-sauna (used here mostly by children as a climbing frame), or David Bade’s Burger Queen, a pink pole dancer — constructed from trash — who twirls around a lamp post high above the ground.

      Although van Os explains that all the works on the route were selected to provoke, they are not intended to titillate. Away from the splashy pieces on Apollolaan, more contemplative sculptures can be found on the nearby residential Minervalaan. In the street’s central reservation — which doubles as a small park — the grass growing between Richard Long’s quiet basalt rock formations gives the impression that they have been there for years, while Kader Attia’s gravestone-shaped mirrors are a literal reflection on reflection.

      A short detour to the east — and something not to be missed — is Forever by Ai Weiwei at the art space KunstKapel on Prinses Irenestraat 19. The only sculpture displayed inside, it combines the Chinese artist’s interests in design and ecology in an unending circle of interconnected bicycles.

      ARTZUID runs until September 22. Maps of the route are available for €2 (about US$3) from the information kiosk on Minervalaan 1 (open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) or as an iPhone app. The route can easily be reached by train, tram or metro and takes about two and a half hours to complete on foot.

      Photos courtesy of ARTZUID and JW Kaldenbach

      Share
      Tweet
      Pin
      Share
      Amsterdam
      by Correspondent Cecily Layzell 

      About Correspondent Cecily Layzell

      View all posts by Correspondent Cecily Layzell

      Related Posts

      • 5 Places Blossoming With Beautiful Blooms
      • How One Of Britain’s Top Bartenders Mixes Things Up
      • 14 Top Destinations Of 2019
      • Forbes Travel Guide’s 25 Top Travel Instagrams Of 2018

      Copyright © 2022 · Prima Donna theme by Georgia Lou Studios

      Dreaming of your next trip?

      Let us inspire you with weekly special offers and stories about what's new and exciting in luxury travel.
      THANK YOU! CONFIRMATION EMAIL SENT.
      You can withdraw your consent at any time. Visit our Privacy Policy and Terms or Contact Us for more information.