The kiss stands proud, 23 meters tall, on the Anton de Komplein. The thin, sheer forms of the sculpture contrast with the sky and the vastness of the square. The kiss consists of three parts, which together form the outlines of two kissing figures.
The sculpture was already revealed in 1982, made to accompany newly built office buildings in the area. But after the demolition of these buildings the artwork had to give way. After having been stored in a depot for 3 years, the artwork was re-installed in 2020 by Kunstwacht.
The re-installation was quite an enterprise, not just because the statue weighs 16.000 kilos. The requirements for the location were strict: the statue must stay in Zuidoost, the artwork must be visible from all sides and it must be placed in an urban environment, not in a park.
But not everyone was happy. In an interview with Parool the artist said: “What they did to The kiss is scandalous. They buried the statue a meter deep into the ground because they liked it better. It looks horrible and they placed this silly gravel bed around it. Why didn’t they just stick to how I intended it?” (Kees Keijer, Parool 10 november 2022)
This artwork is part of the Sunday Sculptures series that Stadscuratorium Amsterdam posts every Sunday on Instagram.
Image: Lard Buurman for the stadscuratorium
