Gay News 67 - maart 1997 p. 13

A Man who Brought Colour to Amsterdam

Eertze Zijlstra died in Amsterdam on January 3rd from Aids-related illnesses. There is no one word in English to describe his chosen profession, nor any words to describe the contribution he made to the familiar appearance of Amsterdam over the last decade. A direct translation of his business card would render "Art and Publicity Painter" which would probably then be neatly 'rounded off' to "Artist and Signwriter". That would give a false impression of his talents, as if the two were totally separate activities. In fact, in his work he brought art to outdoor advertising and combined the two to create original and effective hoardings for theatres, museums and festivals.

More than once his work created such an impact on touring theatre companies that they invited him to produce publicity material for theatres abroad and it was his thirty-foot high painting of an African dancer which adorned the Queen's Theatre in London during the run of Sikulu. A piece on a much smaller scale and familiar to thousands of visitors to Amsterdam now becomes a memorial. Next time you're enjoying an evening out in the Kerkstraat, pause at the entrance to No.4, the Spijker, and look up. There you will see the bar's sign - a larger-than-life nail seemingly hammered through the neatly painted board: the work of Eertze Zijlstra, 1948-1997.

Adriaan Kans