In the Netherlands it is a good practice to have a piece of art or a photo in the city hall. During the renovation 2020-2022 of the city hall in Groningen, the city where I live, there has been somewhat of a discussion: should there be a new portrait of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, or not? In the end it was decided to commission a new piece of art. Not because it was the King, the Groninger mayor Koen Schuiling said on Friday 16 June 2023 when the bust was unveiled, but because the municipality wanted to express a unity of state. Furthermore, as is the tradition, a local artist was commissioned to make something. The bust that was unveiled by mayor Koen Schuiling and the sculptor Marilyn Josiena during a small gathering in which also the beautiful new book about the city hall “Stadhuis Groningen – Voortdurend bij de tijd” (Groningen city hall – Constantly up-to-date) was presented. It is now available in the bookshops.
The sculptor Marilyn Josiena was asked to create a bronze bust of King Willem-Alexander, which will stand in the council chamber. On his pedestal he will look out over everyone in the hall. The sculptor lives in ‘t Zandt, in the province of Groningen and has focused mainly on portraits since she graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague. In a short conversation with Nicolien Wijnja Marilyn Josiena told that she loves to create life from the dead material of clay and stone. Of course the King didn’t come to her studio. Funny was that she told that, because the king himself couldn’t pose, her husband posed in jacket and with a tie to give her an idea how to create that part of the bust. The sculptor furthermore mainly made use of photos, although it was not so easy to find pictures that were workable for an artist. She also watched videos. What she wanted to create was a bust that was human, not regal, and showed his charakter and personality. It took 2 1/2 months before the bust was ready. The result is a wonderful, good-looking bust of the king, smiling lightly with sparkling eyes.
Unfortunately the city hall is not open regularly. Although between 11 and 22 July the Visit Britain photo exhibition “HM The King’s Links to the Netherlands” can be visited in the city hall, I expect that will not be in the council chamber on the top floor. For exhibition dates elsewhere in the Netherlands see here.