Vijftigjarig bestaan van de Universiteit van Amsterdam 1927 1927

This bronze medal was designed by Chris van der Hoef to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the University of Amsterdam in 1927. I find myself imagining van der Hoef meticulously engraving this small object. The design is architectural, with a central gateway framed by classical columns. It's interesting how such a rigid form can commemorate something as expansive as the university's history. What was Van der Hoef thinking as he worked on it? Did he see the doorway as a portal to new knowledge? The texture of the metal is smooth but the lettering around the edge gives it some depth and grit. It reminds me of some modernist architectural drawings, but with a more ornate touch. The medal invites contemplation on how we memorialize institutions and achievements through art, and how artists through time are always in dialogue, reinterpreting and reshaping visual ideas.