Herman Lamers The giant of Rotterdam (2011)

Since June 2011 has been a work of art for Rigardus Rijnhout (1922-1959) in the Oude Westen neighborhood park, better known as The giant of Rotterdam. Rijnhout suffered from the growth disorder acromegaly, which made him 2 meters 37 tall. Its rapid growth took place at the same time that Rotterdam was growing rapidly. Rijnhout lived in Gouvernestraat, near the park where his statue was placed. This monument symbolizes the position of 'the underdog', but at the same time also represents the 'growth' of the city of Rotterdam. The artwork is an initiative of the De Reus Foundation of Rotterdam. 'Rijn', as his family called him, was probably the greatest man who ever lived in the Netherlands. He weighed 230 kilos and had shoe size 62. In the 1940s and 1950s, Rijnhout was, unwillingly, a true city attraction. When he walked around town, he was often surrounded by a swarm of snoopers, but despite often being bullied for his gigantic stature, he remained friendly. That meekness was also probably a symptom of his illness and made him less resistant to people who mocked him or wanted to take advantage of him. Rijnhout earned his living by advertising as a sandwich man and was frequently photographed for advertisements. In his last years, after a fall from his bicycle left him in a wheelchair, he sold postcards of himself. When he finally had to go to hospital at the age of 36, the police had to cordon off Gouvernestraat to keep all the thrill seekers at a distance. The sick 'Rijn' was hoisted down from the second floor with a crane. He died in the Leiden University Hospital. The De Reus van Rotterdam Foundation, in particular initiator Sander de Kramer, approached CBK Rotterdam for a tribute. The foundation and BKOR selected a proposal by artist Herman Lamers from a number of sketch assignments. He made - at the request of the family - a naturalistic image of the Reus in bronze. This is full size in the contours of a house, made of concrete. On a raised platform there is a door frame of normal size with a chair and shoes of gigantic dimensions. Because Rijnhout was bullied a lot, he preferred to stay indoors. This gives passers-by the feeling that they can visit him and get close to him. By walking onto the plateau, they get the feeling of what it was like to always be stared at. Lamers made the design and realized the artwork with his team. Floris Schuller, Geert Schuurmans and CVOS were responsible for the implementation. AH Hoveniers, Frans den Adel, Kemner foundry, PSD Beton and Rob de Vree took care of the technology and installation.