Huub Maas, Wonderen in specie / Miracles in mortar

picture by Anton Nuijten 

as published on the website of the Donderberg groep

As often happens, this art environment in the south of the Netherlands was demolished after its author died and his house was sold.

Life and works

Huub Maas (1934-2000) was a contractor and a mason living in Lierop, a village of some 2200 inhabitants in the province of Noord Brabant in the south of the Netherlands. 

His house, located in a wooded outer area of the village named Oeijenbraak, had a rather large garden which he in 1983 began to transform into an art environment.

picture by Hetty Wilming

as published on the website of the Donderberg groep

As a building contractor he mainly had to do unimaginative straight masonry, but now he could create fanciful shaped masonry. which is not so much reflected in the little church he built, but especially in the miniature mountain range with cascades, a Lourdes grotto and holy figures.

picture from the website Tallsay.com

not available anymore

The site also had various structures decorated with mosaic, a large sculpture of a gilded lion on top of a boulder and trees with dozens of wooden clogs hanging therein.

Maas has been active in decorating his garden for some sixteen years, until he died in 2000.

After his death the house was sold. The new owners wanted a garden to their own taste, so in the summer of 2001 the site was cleaned up.

Some smaller built structures were saved by family members and people living around were allowed to take away small sculptures and other easy to transport items.

The large structures however were demolished. except what once was the Lourdes grotto, which was kept as kind of a covered terrace.

Huub Maas
Miracles in mortar
Hogeweg
Lierop, Noord Brabant, Netherlands
site doesn't exist anymore