It’s known for the amazing variety of waffles, a truly wonderful culinary item. It’s an important business hub in Western Europe. Crucial discoveries that are widely applicable to varied walks of life- such as the Saxophone, Body Mass Index (commonly known as the BMI), and even the contraceptive pill was invented here. Moreover, it’s the home of Tintin, among the most adored cartoon characters ever. But do you know that Belgium also happens to be the home to the world’s biggest sculpture?
What is claimed to be the world’s biggest sculpture was installed recently in the Jean Claude Van Damme-land.
Deliberately designed to look as an incomplete ring, but a somewhat befuddling piece of modern-art meets modern-architecture, Belgium houses the “L’arc Majeur.” It is a hallmark creation of contemporary French artist Bernar Venet, a renowned 78-year-old artist from Chateau-Arnoux-Saint-Auban, who has exhibited his work all around the world.
But a thing that strikes you about “L’arc Majeur,” that stands at Lavaux-Sainte-Anne is that the artist behind its creation wishes it to be remembered for its art, its essence, rather than the height.
To that regard, it is important to know what Bernar Venet happened to share on the eve of its erection at Belgium. He was quoted as saying, “Today we are installing, what everybody agrees to say, the biggest sculpture in the world.”
Furthermore, he would go on to add, ” But I hope the artistic meaning of this arch will be more important than its size.”
If anyone was wondering as to what an incomplete ring demonstrates or depicts, for instance, something like the incompleteness of life or that the truth of life is that, maybe not everything is meant to come to a full circle, then this is the massive sculpture that will move you to think and compellingly so.
What’s interesting is that the world’s biggest sculpture wasn’t always intended to be built in Belgium, a large part of which speaks French. In fact, it was always intended to be built in France, the homeland of Venet.
Today, as it stands at a somewhat lonely stretch of road in the quaint town of Lavaux-Sainte-Anne, one can’t help but stand in arresting silence of its sheer lankiness. In addition to that, it’s important to know that the mega sculpture, a 60-meter tall semi-circle of steel, is made of around 200 tonnes of Steel and was set in a whopping 2,800 tonnes of concrete.
Euronews, reporting more on the massive structure shared- “the artist, who is now 78, expects different reactions to the piece from the public, depending on if they’re knowledgeable “about contemporary art or not”.