Indian antelope (Indische antilope)

About this artwork.

Indian antelope, a bronze profile containing masonry made of two types of bricks, adorns the Giga complex near the former Oosterpark football stadium.

The Groningen sculptor Wladimir de Vries created the piece of art in 1957 for the new building of the Provincial Animal Health Service on Zaagmuldersweg 1. This building was demolished in 2012 in order to be rebuilt Artwork group Oosterpark Nooit Saai (ONS) dedicated itself to the preservation of this piece of neighbourhood art. The group found housing corporation Nijestee willing to include the Indian antelope in the Giga complex. The artwork was integrated into the new building in October 2012.  

There are ten sculptures by Wladimir de Vries in the city; all of them women or animals. The most famous are Agriculture and Cattle Breeding (Landbouw en Veeteelt), or Bare Bet (Blote Bet) on the Herebrug bridge; The Foal (Het Veulen) on the Radesingel and The Bison (De Wisent) in the Noorderplantsoen. His works – all figurative in nature – were created in the period from around 1950 to 1980. This was precisely the time when a predominant preference for abstract art began to emerge. But De Vries continued to work in his original, traditional style. His willfulness also characterises the sculptures which exude pride: the proud stance of Bare Bet, the triumphant trumpets of The Elephant.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Wladimir de Vries

• District
  Oosterparkwijk

• Year of creation
  1957

• Art type
  Art in / on a building, Wall sculpture

• Material
  Brick, Bronze

• Dimensions
  h 1,95 x b 2,50 m