Beeld zonder titel, 1978

Corten steel artwork from 1978 by Eric van Spronsen with five tetrahedrons and a protective layer of rust.

Title: none

Unveiling: 1978

Material: Corten steel,

Dimensions height: 250 m

Location: Burgemeester van Alphenstraat near Tjerk Hiddestraat

Sculptor: Eric van Spronsen

Rust is rust

Together with Haarlem artist Eric van Spronsen, six-year-old Desirée Randag unveiled the artwork in the library garden. Desirée was given this honour because she came to the library to collect the 250,000th book. Together with the artist, Desirée threw a bucket of water at the statue. That was exactly the artist’s intention because his sculpture is made of Corten steel. The water at the unveiling is functionally intended to indicate that it is not a problem if the material rusts. However, the process does not continue and the layer of rust becomes a protective layer for the steel. The artwork is a composition with five Tetrahedrons (four-sided) that represent the function of the library. The statue is representative of the art that Van Spronsen made, which originated in the cube. A nice spot for the statue will have to be found when the library moves to the Louis Davidscarré.

Eric van Spronsen

Van Spronsen graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. He is an artist who manifests himself as a sculptor. After his studies, he focused on sculpting with steel as the main material. He is a mathematician. His sculptures are calculated very carefully by him and made to scale in order to be able to view and examine the object from all sides. The geometric and regular nature of the cube is a constant source of study, research and inspiration for this artist.