Zitknobbels

About this artwork.

Please note: this work has been temporarily removed for restoration.

Zitknobbels is representative of the work that René de Boer created during the seventies of the twentieth century. Reducing the gap between art and an audience was an important theme in his work at the time. He achieved this by making his images not only objects to look at, but also objects to use. He also wanted to break through the passive attitude towards art. Instead of just being allowed to look at artwork, people can actively engage with his object.

Zitknobbels is a viewing, sitting, lying and playing object. Beneath the sculpture are swivel castors and nylon sliding plates that allow the artwork to roll to any location. And because the sculpture hinges in the middle, it can also be given a different shape. The aspect of the user function also plays an important role in De Boer’s artwork Head Over Heels (Rollebollen).

Zitknobbels stood on the Grote Markt for a month in 1975, after which the municipality of Groningen bought it and placed it in the Paddepoel shopping centre. At the end of the nineties the sculpture went to the Selwerd shopping centre. Since 2011 the bronze bench has been standing on the square near the shopping square de Beren.

A number of Van De Boer sculptures can be found in the city of Groningen. Initially the artist worked mainly with welded brass (see for example Mijlpaal). He learned how to weld brass from Edu Waskowsky, who applied this technique to the production of the Jewish Monument. Since 1981 De Boer has also used Corten steel (see for example Kringloop), a rather difficult material that forces the sculptor into a different shape than the more flexible brass. Recurring themes in his work are: nature, birth and death, holding on, letting go and transience.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  René de Boer

• District
  Korrewegwijk & De Hoogte

• Year of creation
  1975

• Art type
  Freestanding sculpture

• Material
  Messing

• Dimensions
  b ca. 7,50 m (variabel)