Three murals for the PTT building

About this artwork.

Three limestone reliefs by Wladimir de Vries have been applied to two facades of the former PTT telephone office. The relief on the north side of the building depicts an almost naked woman with a dove on her hand: the animal is a possible reference to the function of the building. The two other reliefs on the south facade show a winged horse and lightning bolts striking the sea. The connection between these two images can be found in Greek mythology. The winged horse is Pegasus, the animal that carried lightning bolts for Zeus. Zeus was the supreme god and the god of thunder and lightning.
 
The mural of the female figure with dove is no longer there. It was demolished during the rebuilding in 1997.
 
There are several reliefs and sculptures by Wladimir de Vries in the city. The most famous are Agriculture and Cattle Breeding (Landbouw en Veeteelt) also known as Blote Bet on the Herebrug; The Foal (Het Veulen) on the Radesingel and The Bison (De Wisent) in the Noorderplantsoen.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Wladimir de Vries

• District
  Centrum

• Year of creation
  1958

• Art type
  Relief, Art in / on a building

• Material
  Limestone

• Dimensions
  Pegasus (telefoondienst) en Bliksemflits (Telegraafdienst) beide 120 cm hoog. 
  Het verdwenen vrouwenbeeld (Telefoondienst) was 220 cm hoog.