JOHN RÄDECKER (1885-1956)

In 1935 the Holland-America Line commissioned the construction of the Nieuw Amsterdam. This 'ship of tomorrow' was equipped with all available luxuries of the time, such as two swimming pools and an air-conditioned theatre. Many artists, including Eva Besnyö, Heinrich Campendonk, Jozef Cantré, Andries Copier, Charles Eyck, Adriaan Lubbers and John Rädecker, were requested to contribute to the interior design of the ship, which was characterized by light, elegance and a modern look. The architect P.J.J. Oud was responsible for the interior of the lounge and the swimming pool.

At Oud's request, John Rädecker designed a ceiling relief and ornamental panels for the Grand Hall and a wall sculpture for the lounge. The sculpture above the fireplace of the lounge was a bronze relief in the form of a siren. In addition to the bronze cast, Ype Koopmans describes two variants of the relief: the plaster model that came into the possession of Rädecker's friend Ad Grimmon and the aluminium relief, which Rädecker had cast in a single copy for the Alkmaar collector Dirk de Wolff Peereboom, who owned more works by Rädecker.

During the Second World War, the Nieuw Amsterdam was deployed from the United States as a troopship. The ship was converted for this purpose, and the original furniture and decorations were removed and stored. After the war, the ship was extensively renovated and returned to service in 1947 before being demolished in 1974. The design drawings and the decoration of the ceiling of the Grand Hall of the Nieuw Amsterdam are in the Maritime Museum, Rotterdam. The current locations of the plaster model and the bronze relief are unknown.