In the course of time many residents of The Hague have worked hard to make our city more beautiful and enjoyable. Every day we walk or cycle by the results of their labours, often without consciously noticing them. One such Hagenaar was sculptor Dirk Bus.
Dirk Bus
Dirk Bus was born in The Hague in 1907. He was a student in the Sculpture Department of the Royal Academy of Arts in the Hague and at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam.
Besides being an artist, he also spent a lot of energy in administrative activities e.g. as chairman of the Pulchri Art Society in Lange Voorhout. So it’s fitting that the Municipality of The Hague recognized his great contribution to the city. On the occasion of his 70th birthday he was awarded the “Gemeentepenning” (a special coin) for his exceptional services. Naturally, the award ceremony took place in Pulchri Studio!
Buildings and bridges
You can admire Dirk Bus’s work at a number of locations in The Hague. You see them in parks and on squares, or attached to buildings and bridges. Not all buildings embellished by Bus remain, but at one location this problem is solved in a nice way.
I’m deliberately unspecific because I want you to pick your brains: Where are the statues in the photographs to be found?
Look around you!
There is no award to win. But you can be proud of yourself if you know where to find many of these statues. After you have done your homework, you can look for the answers.
You will discover more of the details in The Hague if you organize one of my city walks or bicycle tours with family, friends or colleagues.
