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Gretchenvogel

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Janssensstraat
5735 Aarle-Rixtel
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Artist Cees Meijer from Aarle-Rixtel donated the giant bird to the municipality of Laarbeek and chose the green strip on Janssensstraat. I tho…

Artist Cees Meijer from Aarle-Rixtel donated the giant bird to the municipality of Laarbeek and chose the green strip on Janssensstraat. I thought this was the most beautiful spot; the green background does the sculpture justice,' he said about it in 2017. It is a giant bird, and rightly so. Gretchenvogel is 3 metres and 48 centimetres high and weighs 4100 kilos. Meijer created the sculpture in 2010 during the 24-day sculpture symposium in Sprimont, Belgium. In 2011 it was exhibited at the Keukenhof in Lisse, where the sculpture also got its name. That year's theme at the Keukenhof was Goethe (1749 - 1832). Fossil remains were found in Weimar, Germany (where writer Goethe lived), which referred to a primeval bird. Gretchen is a character from Goethe's most important work, Faust. This combination gave Meijer's sculpture the name Gretchenvogel. After the exhibition the statue stood for several years on the Bakelseweg in Aarle-Rixtel, Meijer finally donated it to the municipality. Where everyone can now enjoy the giant bird.

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