Monkey‘s Table, Zoutkeetsgracht Amsterdam, 2006, bronze and stainless steel

The monkeys differ in size, color and style. The tallest one represents a Japanese macaque and is executed in Amsterdam school style, the Dutch version of Art Deco. The small, standing one is a gorilla, executed in nickel–plated science fiction style, the spider monkey has been designed in Etruscan style and patinated green-blue.

The sculpture has been commissioned by Stadsdeel Westerpark and relates to another sculpture based upon a table by Alfons ter Avest , just around the corner.

Untitled,  Bascule, Amsterdam Medical Centre AMC Amsterdam, 2009, mixed media, 20,2 x 2,5 x 1,7 m, commissioned by AMC Amsterdam with match funding from Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst (AFK).

The AMC is one of the largest hospital buildings in Europe. Its massive building from the early 80s, -with over 50 km of corridors- houses the biggest public art collection in the Netherlands. Read more here. Really worth a visit when the museums are closed, the hospital is open 24/7.

The Bascule is part of the AMC Hospital and is dedicated to youth psychiatric daycare.

The 20 m high sculpture tower, situated next to the elevator shaft, contains a random selection of objects, including animals and people, all trying to keep their balance. The theme is referring to the very act of balancing one’s own life, which is constantly exposed to a lot of randomness from which we try to make sense. When there are troubles in this balancing, people come here to find it back.

(Bascule means balance but I only realized that when the sculpture was installed)

Original sketch and maquette for the Bascule tower