Untitled

About this artwork.

This piece marks the entrance to the pumping station. The decorative, stylised figures indicate the year of construction. The visual language of the stone shows similarities with the work of constructivist Ploeg artists such as Wobbe Alkema and Jan van der Zee, with whom Willem Valk, as a member of De Ploeg, had contact around 1925. 
 
With the construction of the Oosterparkwijk around 1925, it was necessary to pump this low-lying part of the city dry and to properly regulate the water management for the new district. That is why a main sewerage pumping station was built on the Damsterdiep in 1928. The architect of this Amsterdam School building is S.J. Bouma. At the time, he was an architectural draftsman for the Municipal Works Department and a pioneer of the above-mentioned architectural style, which is characterised by the application of sculpture to the interior and exterior of a building.
 
In 1921 Willem Valk came to Groningen, where he would teach sculpture at the Minerva Art Academy for 43 years. In addition to his teaching remit, he created numerous portraits, nudes and sculptures for buildings in Groningen. The latter earned him the unofficial title of city sculptor.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Willem Valk

• District
  Oosterparkwijk

• Year of creation
  1928

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

• Material
  Syenite

• Dimensions
  h 0,50 m