Atelier Volten
Atelier Volten is the still-intact former studio of André Volten (1925-2002) in Amsterdam-North. André Volten was among those in the vanguard of geometric abstract sculpture. As a sculptor Volten was a pioneer in steel. His iconic sculptures are an inherent part of our experience of urban design. The relationship between the artwork, the architecture, the surroundings and the viewer was his key focus.
André Volten’s workshops on the ground floor were expanded and renovated in 2014 into exhibition spaces. The top floor, where numerous small models of his major works are located and where Volten made his designs, is still intact. The entire studio house is accessible for public during opening hours.
Asterdorp
Atelier Volten is located in the Poortgebouw (former gatehouse) of Asterdorp. This was the entrance to a so-called ‘residential school’, situated in Buiksloterham from 1927 onwards. The building was designed in 1925 by Johannes Hendrik Mulder Jr. of the Municipal Housing Service. It was built in 1926 and commissioned in 1927. Until the homes were demolished in 1955, the gate house was part of the entire Asterdorp housing complex with 131 homes. In 1941 the German occupier confiscated Asterdorp and used it as ghetto. During one of the bombardments on Amsterdam-North in July 1943, Asterdorp was partially destroyed. After repairs, the houses were put into use in 1947, but due to the poor living conditions, it was finally demolished in 1955. Only the gatehouse has survived, because Volten squatted the building and used it as his workshop from 1952 until his death in 2002.
Work
Countless ensembles of sculptures in steel, granite, brass or bronze stand in prominent places throughout The Netherlands, many of them in Amsterdam. A 5-minute walk from the studio will bring you to the IJ-embankment where you can find the sculpture ‘De Knoop’.