Monastery Gate (work no. HVP03012) is the most unique contemporary modern abstract geometric bronze sculpture by acclaimed Dutch constructivist Henk van Putten, who was born in The Netherlands but for many years lived and worked in Auroville, India. Upon Henk’s decease early 2019, his estate including sculptures, reliefs, paintings, drawings and even installations passed to his son and daughter back in Amsterdam. A selection of these works was shown to the larger public during a commemorative exhibition in Amsterdam in 2019, including this bronze sculpture Monastery Gate which is considered by the artists’ family to be the most valuable work in his estate.
The sculpture consists of five separate elements that are cleverly assembled to form one impressive work of art. Each element is made from patinated bronze, the two tallest centre elements are solid bronze, the other three elements are nearly solid. The total weight of the assembled sculpture is over 20 kilograms (46 pounds). Some elements show a little wear due to the assembly and disassembly for exhibition purposes, this is however not visible after the assembly of the sculpture is completed.
