Sylvette

At the corner of Westersingel, next to the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, you’ll find Sylvette—a concrete sculpture by artist Pablo Picasso in collaboration with Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar.

Picasso met Sylvette, a nineteen-year-old woman, in 1954. She had timeless beauty and always wore her hair in a ponytail. It was Picasso’s first time working with a model, and she came into his life during a challenging period after his marriage ended.

Picasso created a series of drawings, paintings, ceramics, and sculptures inspired by her. The Rotterdam sculpture stands 7.5 meters tall and is 4.5 meters wide.

Shortly after meeting Sylvette, Picasso connected with Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar, who had developed a new technique for crafting large concrete structures. The sculpture was cast in concrete with black pebbles, resulting in lines that captured the hand-painted essence of the original model.

In 1963, the Stadsverfraaiing committee sought to acquire a 20-meter-tall concrete sculpture by Picasso for Kralingse Bos. However, the people of Rotterdam opposed the idea.

In 1971, Bouwcentrum purchased Sylvette and donated it to the municipality. The monumental and weighty artwork was later relocated to its current position in 2003.

Discover other sculptures in Rotterdam