Eddy Roos, 1949 | Figurative sculptor

Eddy Roos (Amsterdam, 1949) is a Dutch artist and sculptor. He also choreographed 42 dance films and designs sculpture gardens.

A danced arabesque captured in bronze

The carefully reconstructed old- Dutch Renaissance-garden around the Groningen Verhildersum Manor at Leens forms in its idyllic setting of green lawns and delicately coloured flowerbeds the realization of a dream: from 1977 sculptor Eddy Roos is working on the realization of his own sculpture garden.

The former curator of the Groningen Manor, mrs Tine Clevering- Meijer, invited the from origin Amsterdam sculptor, shortly after he established himself on the Groningen Hogeland to effect his ideas on such a sculpture-garden at “her” Manor.

Eddy Roos was cherising the dream of a sculpture-garden of his own, enchanted as he was with Aristide Maillol’s sculpture-garden at the Louvre in Paris.

Such a prominent spot was not his chief ambition. Brancusi’s example, who realized at a peaceful dreamy spot in his native Roumenian country a similar project, appealed to him more. Even more so as since 1967 mrs Clevering was engaged in restyling the landscape garden round the Manor witch dates from the 14th century and was owned by the Ommeland family Tjarda van Starkenborgh, restyling it to a garden ordened according to the Colden Section. In addition she orientated herself to gardens such as the 16th centuty Frisian architect Vredeman de Vries introduced into the Northern Netherlands.

Roos developed an evenly balances geometric project for the placing of thirteen bronze sculptures, including five double figures. After an initial financial support from the government this project is now financially provided for by private sponsoring.

Eddy Roos regards the sculpturegarden at Verhildersum the fulfilment of a long cherished ambition.

At first he wanted to develop from the Asian language of symbolism about the path of life a thematic concept. He abandoned that idea as being too pretentious, for that matter just as the style-criterion. In fact he does not wish to work from a style-conception which is sanctioned by history of art. After an initial stage with deformations à la Lipchitz Eddy Roos now refrains from such-like artifices.

He now finds it more essential to create the natural movement of his dancing figures. He seeks the inner arabesque, the almost abstract line of movement that shows itself in a distinct spinal curvature. To him that arabesque embodies inner emotions such as playfulness, joy of living, energy and sensuality.

This thematic concept is not only to be observed from the so far ten places statues in the Verhildersum sculpture- garden. An identical sensuality shows from two large monumental commissions he realized in the urban agglomeration of Holland: a hovering double sculpture in the North of Amsterdam in memory of the battle of Dutch members of the International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War and a monumental dancing figure in a circular frame at Rotterdam metro.

From the start of his career as a sculptor Eddy Roos became immensely fascinated by dance and motion. Which also is expressed in his constant interest in choreography. Shortly after his academic days this interest resulted in some experience in the field of total theatre and in various dance- and mime activities. Of great importance for his development as a sculptor were afterwards his intensive contacts with modern dancer Pauline de Groot. About 1985 he next very closely attended the dance performances by Pina Bausch and her Wuppertal group.