750 years of Amsterdam captured in a single work of art

750 jaar geleden bestond Amsterdam uit een paar honderd mensen, levend van haring uit de Zuiderzee en de handel in bier en wol. Vandaag kent de hele wereld de stad van legendes als Cruijff, Rembrandt en Hazes. De stad waar je langs de grachtengordel fietst en de metro pakt richting Zuidoost om Mijn Stad door de Johan Cruijff ArenA te horen galmen. De stad waar mensen recht voor hun raap zijn, maar ook een klein hartje hebben. Oftewel: de stad waar Amsterdammers trots op zijn. Om het 750-jarig bestaan te vieren, vereeuwigt de Johan Cruijff ArenA de steunpilaren van onze stad in dit kunstwerk.

The heroes of 750 years of Amsterdam

This artwork brings together twenty-seven heroes who have shaped Amsterdam. Resistance fighters who stood up in times of war, a doctor who fought for women’s suffrage, and artists whose influence is felt to this day from the Jordaan to Zuidoost. From football icons to community builders, from artists to global stars: each of them makes Amsterdam what it is.

A gift for Amsterdam, from Amsterdam-Zuidoost

To give a visual expression to our pride in our city and Zuidoost, artists Floor Wesseling and Virgil Sana joined forces. Two creators who know Amsterdam-Zuidoost inside out. Floor Wesseling has lived in the Bijlmer for 27 years and previously designed the corporate identity for the Zuidoost district and the lion on the Oranje shirt. Inspired by the biscuit tins found in Amsterdam kitchens, he designed the city map on the floor and ceiling. Virgil Sana lives in Zuidoost and has already seen his work featured in the Van Gogh Museum and on the walls of Reigersbos. For this artwork, he brings the twenty-five heroes to life on the concrete columns.

Floor Wesseling: the identity-builder of and from Zuidoost

The heroes as role models for Amsterdam’s new generation

From Rembrandt to Worthy de Jong, and from Aletta Jacobs to André Hazes: each of the twenty-seven heroes embodies the character of our city. The Amsterdam swagger and individuality that give our city its colour. Today, a new generation looks up to them. The children in the squares, in the classroom and on stage. Who knows, perhaps these twenty-seven heroes are paving the way for the heroes of Amsterdam fifty years from now.