Blauw Jan Lizards (40 Lizards)

The lizards were made by visual artist Hans van Houwelingen. The artwork is named after the 17th-century innkeeper Blaauw Jan Westerhof. He had a large collection of wild animals in his backyard; lions, tigers, parrots and other beasts. Amsterdammers could view his collection for 4 stuivers.The innkeeper owed his nickname Blauwe Jan to his great love for drink. In Bargoens, someone is 'blue' if they have drunk too much.As of 2015, the forty lizards were in storage. Now that the construction of the bicycle shed has been completed, the bronze reptiles are placed in the ground one by one with a 500 kg block of concrete. For example, the lizards return to the place where they were first placed in 1994.