Ossip Zadkine (1888-1967)
La ville détruite
1947
128 x 56 x 58 cm
Bronze
Edition of 6 + 4 EA
On May 14, 1940, the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands was bombed by the Germans. More than 24,000 homes were reduced to ashes in fifteen minutes. According to Zadkine, he got inspiration for the 'Destroyed City' statue when he saw the ruins of Rotterdam. Like many Zadkine stories, this is not the truth. Zadkine made the statue that would later become 'The Destroyed City' in 1947. The statue was a gift from the management of department store De Bijenkorf. The statue was unveiled on 15 May 1953 and is now one of the most important war memorials in the Netherlands.