Glass appliqué (20 pieces)

About this artwork.

Incorporated into the entrance from the Grote Markt to the bicycle cellar under the Groot Handelsgebouw is a wall consisting of 20 parts of glass appliqué. Two windows one above the other, ten windows wide. The windows are composed of colored pieces of window glass, sometimes several layers thick, glued to a white background. Blue, green, pink and cream-colored strips and rectangles are combined with 'grains' of uncolored glass. The different layers of colored glass create an optical color mixture. And because of its placement in a facade, it almost looks like a transparent wall painting. In the original situation this was through natural outside light, in the corridor to the bicycle cellar LED lamps have been placed behind it for this effect. The composition of the 20 windows shows a waveform as a whole; two white curved strips with a white oval in between. From a distance it looks like a big eye.

About the assignment.

The windows were originally located in the shipping building of Vroom & Dreesmann (V&D) on Rodeweeshuisstraat. This building was built at the same time as the construction of the V&D department store on the Grote Markt from the mid-1950s, and opened on September 17, 1958. On the ground floor of the dispatch building, probably on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the branch, the 20-piece glass appliqué was placed in the side wall on the ground floor, presented by the staff to the management. “Design Esser Holland” is etched on one of the windows. After an open call by Kunstpunt the name Jos Esser was mentioned as the creator of the work. He was working for V&D as a decorator at that time.

After the departure of V&D from the city, the building in Rodeweeshuisstraat was also sold. There was no room for the glass appliqué in the renovation plans, so the windows were removed in 2018. After six years in storage, a thorough cleaning and restoration, the windows can now be seen again in the hallway to the bicycle cellar, close to where it originally was located.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Jos Esser

• District
  Centrum

• Year of creation
  1968

• Art type
  Glass artwork

• Material
  Glass

• Dimensions
  linker deel: h 2,23 x b 3,80 m / rechter deel: h 2,23 x b 5,60 m /  per plaat: h 1, 02 x b 0,92 m