Gerard Philps is on his way to his brother Anton and cousin Frits. Those two well-known members of the Philips family already have a statue in the city of Eindhoven, and a seven-metre-high bust of Gerard Philips will soon be added. On Saturday, the statue left by boat to Zaltbommel, Gerard’s birthplace.
The bust of Gerard Philips, founder of the famous electronics company, should eventually arrive in Eindhoven. Artist Andreas Hetfeld worked with a team of eight experts in a shipyard in Millingen aan de Rijn in Gelderland on this technical tour de force. It took nine months to complete.
The artwork has an opening in the shape of a life-size light bulb. Visitors will be able to walk through it later. The statue is seven meters high and eight meters wide. It is made up of five hundred layers of steel and has 4659 separate parts. The statue is a gift from Philips to the municipality of Eindhoven on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of the electronics group.
“Eindhoven and Zaltbommel belong together as far as the Philips history is concerned.”
Early in the morning ‘Gerard’ left by boat to Zaltbommel, the town where he was born. The special transport attracted a lot of attention. In Nijmegen, many people were standing on the quay when the statue passed by and in Zaltbommel it was also busy with people eagerly awaiting the statue of Gerard passing under the Waal Bridge. “Here he made the first filaments in his mother’s laundry room”, says Adri van Veen proudly from Bommel. “Eindhoven and Zaltbommel belong together as far as the Philips history is concerned”, says Jan Menken Hopma.
“This artwork is a tribute to Gerard as an engineer, manufacturer and as a person.”
“The journey across the Waal went very smoothly, Gerard glided very calmly over the water,” says Andreas Hetfeld. “It was enjoyable and the best thing is to see how the image works in the open air, what the sun does and what the glitter of the water does. It is also nice that he makes a stopover here in Zaltbommel on his way to Eindhoven. The Gerard’s urn is buried here and also that of his wife, which is a beautiful symbolism,” said the radiant artist. “This artwork is a tribute to Gerard as an engineer, manufacturer and as a human being. He has been very important for the development of the Eindhoven region.”
Until Monday 1 May, the statue will remain in the harbor of Zaltbommel where it will be beautifully lit in the evening. On Monday it will then be transported by road in parts to Eindhoven. “The statue is too big to cross the road as it stands now,” says Andreas.
On Monday 15 May, the founding date of Philips, the artwork will be officially handed over by Philips CEO Roy Jakobs to mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem of Eindhoven. The artwork will be temporarily placed in the Gloeilampplantsoen at Strijp-T in Eindhoven. When Victoria Park in the city center is ready, the statue will be moved there. The new park is a stone’s throw from Gerard’s first factory on the Emmasingel.
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