It was quiet around the station dog Mannes for a while, but today the second lawsuit is scheduled. And that is a ‘spaghetti case’, because several accusations are fought with each other.
All defendants are currently in court in Rotterdam, because both artists, Maurice Nio and QS Serafijn – a pseudonym for Robert Hack – are from that city.
The proceedings on the merits of the case will start today. Several issues are addressed here. The first concerns the repair costs that the municipality of Assen paid for Mannes. It concerns 90,000 euros that the municipality has advanced. QS Serafijn believes that the municipality of Assen has completely ruined the original Mannes with the repair. That is also the second case to be dealt with.
The Rotterdam artist believes that the municipality has ‘raped’ Mannes and that the work of art is damaging his reputation as a result. QS Serafijn therefore believes that Mannes should be restored to how he looked before the repairs.
To return to the repair costs. The two artists have a ten-year contract that states that they have a maintenance obligation. But that’s what they care about. They pass the bill on to the woodworking company that Mannes put together in 2018. According to Nio and Serafijn, that company did a bad job.
These subcontractors are also present in court today.
Since Animal Day 2018, the dog has been on the lookout at the station. Even then there was already criticism because of the high cost of the artwork, namely half a million. Since then it has been hassle after hassle. Last year, the municipality could no longer bear to see how Mannes deteriorated further and further. At first there were lime stripes on the image and then the synthetic resin layer came off.
The municipality called in a company from Werkendam to patch up Mannes. All wooden panels were individually wrapped in a sturdy fiberglass protective layer. And another four thick layers of high gloss were applied, so that Mannes could last another fifty years.
The first court case was in April of this year. It was about whether Mannes could remain standing or whether the station dog should be covered. But the artist Serafijn even wanted to force the large statue to disappear from Assen. The judge did not agree and therefore Mannes was allowed to stand. At least until another judge in one of the future court cases decides otherwise.
It is unlikely that a verdict will follow today. It will probably arrive within two weeks.