Where in Zuidas
There is a very tall figure standing outside the courthouse in Amsterdam. It could be a man or a woman, or maybe a boy or a girl, bending down. The hair is falling forwards casually, and the trousers are loose and casual too. The person is looking curiously at three objects they are holding in their hand. The figure looks modest, but the overall impression is striking. Lots of people stop to take a closer look, take pictures, or touch the shoes. The artwork called Love or Generosity, by Nicole Eisenman, has only been standing outside the entrance to the new courthouse since 2020, but it has already become a real Zuidas landmark. It stands out, attracts attention – it has impact!
Walking route and audio tour
Love or Generosity is an unmissable stop on our Zuidas Art Tour – a walking route that shows you 14 unique and public works of art in Zuidas. We have planned the route very carefully – all you need to do is let yourself be guided, inspired and amazed as you walk and listen. The Zuidas Art Tour has an audio tour to go with it, explaining the context and meaning of each work of art. Sometimes you will learn about the history of a work, or an interesting anecdote, and for other works we will tell you a bit about the artist.
The stories behind the artworks
Our Art and Culture programme manager, Onno van den Muysenberg, can’t wait to tell you the stories behind the artworks of Zuidas. Did you know, for example, why the imposing figure in front of the court entrance looks androgynous and gender-neutral? Or why Tom Claassen, the artist behind the famous dog Hildo in front of the ABN AMRO office, almost always depicts animals in his work? You can find out the answers to these questions and many more on the Zuidas Art Tour.
Art in the air and under the ground
You will soon discover that you have to look a little further for some of the artworks. For example, the Zuidas Art Tour will take you to an artwork by Jeroen Henneman that is balanced on the roof of a residential tower about forty metres up in the air. And there is even an artwork below ground level, in Europaplein metro station. There, you can see I Want a Permanent Wave by Gerald van der Kaap, a series of black-and-white photos on reflective glass plates. Anybody passing through on the metro sees a beautiful film noir flashing past them. But when you look at the photos from one of the platforms, there is so much more to discover in the work.
We hope you have fun on the Zuidas Art Tour. The whole art tour will take about an hour and a half. You can cycle it too, of course, and then it will take you about 45 minutes. Remember to take photos of your favourite works of art along the way and to share them using the hashtag #ommetjezuidas.
Note: Ommetje Kunst is only available in Dutch audio. The map can be used to find the locations of the artworks.
Give your opinion
Jammer dat er niet altijd gekozen wordt voor een Nederlandse kunstenaar. Keuze zat in Nederland zou je zeggen :-)
Beste Marieke, 11 van de 14 getoonde kunstwerken zijn van Nederlandse kunstenaars. De kunstwerken in het Ommetje tonen een mix van werken uit verschillende periodes van toonaangevende en opkomende kunstenaars uit Amsterdam, Nederland en Europa. Voor de selectie van kunstwerken in de openbare ruimte gelden natuurlijk meerdere uitgangspunten, die worden vastgelegd in gemeentelijke kunst en cultuurplannen. Meer over kunst in de Amsterdamse openbare ruimte kun je lezen op https://amsterdam.kunstwacht.nl.
Sounds great, where can we find this audio tour?
Hi Florence, you can find the Ommetje Kunst and also our other audiotours on this page: https://zuidas.nl/ommetje. Enjoy the tour!