Diepe Fontein - Antwerp

Valérie B.

Magnifique !!
D'une originalité et d'une magnifique esthétique, cette œuvre de Cristina Iglesias vaut vraiment le détour.
Une fontaine à voir absolument !

Pavel K.

A fountain that does not spew a spectacular jet into the air, but uses the enchanting power of water to urge passers-by to slow down and stillness.

A by the Spanish artist Cristina Iglesias, which stands in front of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. The fountain, like the rest of the square, is closed to passers-by with yard fences, and an excavator stands to the left of the museum. But after the construction works, the fountain will be accessible again.

At first glance, the artwork looks more like a pond. When the water basin is completely filled, the monumental facade of the museum is reflected in it. But the horizontal fountain has a channel in the middle, where the water flows slowly in and out. It is only when you have not paid attention and look again that you see that something has changed. It is a work of art that takes time. And whoever takes that time sees the sea in miniature.

The work is regularly referred to as a female fountain. Undoubtedly Iglesias, incidentally one of the few women in our collection, was aware of this, but to my knowledge she never spoke of feminine herself.

When it's full, you see the classic reflection. When the water disappears, the pure work of art comes into view.' That work of art has a bottom that is completely covered with a bas-relief of leaves. They are made of resin, but have a greenish copper color, a subtle reference to classical bronze sculptures.

Unfortunately, the soil is also fragile. Of the 2,700 plates that fill the 34 by 14 meter basin, more than one has been damaged.

The Deep Fountain is an exceptional work, because in Belgium there is not really a tradition of art fountains, certainly not a contemporary one.

At first there was a lot of opposition. The idea prevailed that a fountain should above all be a vertical spectacle. And this is a still, slow work of art.

In 1999, Robbrecht and Daem Architects, in collaboration with Marie-José Van Hee, made a design for the redevelopment of the museum square. Even then they provided space for art: four recycled busts attributed to Rodin, originating from the vanished Loos monument, a bench by Ann Demeulemeester, and thus the Deep fountain by Iglesias. It would take until 2006 for the artwork to arrive. It was difficult to arrange financing,' says Saelemakers. The total budget ultimately amounted to 850,000 euros. For years, Hilde Daem has defended the work tooth and nail. Fortunately, between 1999 and 2006, the spirits matured, and during that period Cristina Iglesias became more famous, which also helped.

Jan M.

Very cool fountain using natural oxidation to create a nice colour.

Unfortunately it wasn't on when I visited.

Andrey M.

На жаль фонтан пока не работает. Будем ждать окончания ремонтнореставрационных работ. Хорошего дня.

Tim N.

A pool that fills up slowly and drains again, reflection in the water is nice on sunny days

sahil O.

good

トックワールド

STERK WERK

Aspire M.

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