In 2006, the Danubiana launched Art on the Promenade, a new project of the presentation of open-air sculptures. The first exhibition presented nineteen sculptures made by Hans Van de Bovenkamp, an American sculptor born in the Netherlands. The Danubiana Portal created to honour the Danubiana is part of its permanent collection of sculptures.
The group of two pieces exemplifies the main features of Van de Bovenkamp’s later work: his remarkable ability to capture the ephemeral qualities of movement, air, light, water and distance, and render them in the minimalist geometric form. The sculpture wonderfully communicates with the surrounding space. However, the evolution of his present style had its genesis. It was influenced by the artist’s perception of space, his feeling for architectural space and his talent for site-specific sculpture. He has refined his idiom on several themes, seeking minimalist yet inventive forms. Van de Bovenkamp has created numerous series of sculptures exploring the subjects of Genesis, Sperm or Menhirs, rendering the minimalist abstract form in captivating dynamic compositions. Initially, his works were executed in painted aluminium; later he preferred stainless steel and bronze. His works show meticulous technical skill: He works the sculpture’s surface, covering it with finely cut calligraphic traces and structures capturing light. Thus he achieves dynamic forms, their surface creating vibrating shimmering lustre. His sculptures of varying width and depth are composed as thrusts of vertical shapes – totems or menhirs. This creates an impressive visual play of undulating forms directed toward infinity. His earlier works had a more decorative accent, emphasised by expressive painting, however his later pieces have been influenced by oriental culture, opening up towards new messages of thought. Van de Bovenkamp transforms the forces of nature – wind, movement, light and water – into material forms as the symbols of life. His sculptures embody the dynamism of movement and changeability, evolving into baroque exuberance. They radiate a liberating inner energy combining the terrestrial with the magical.
