It was world news in 1963. 'Europe's Largest Sculpture In Bronze Is At Rotterdam' was the headline in the New York Herald Tribune, adding that it was probably even the largest in the world. 'Unique au monde', also stated La Libre Belgique and The Bulletin Detroit Institute of Arts put the statue on the cover. Art historian Werner Hofmann wrote in Art International that the sculptor had competed with the gods in this 'Weltschöpfung', a sculptural 'Höchstmass'. And of course dozens of articles about this work of art in question appeared in the Netherlands, namely Corporate Entity ie Embodied unit by Wessel Couzijn, a twenty-ton bronze sculpture that was unveiled in front of the Unilever office building on s'Jacobplein.
Six meters high and fourteen meters wide, the three-part figure of twenty tons of greenish flaring bronze stood in front of the main entrance of a twelve-storey building of natural stone and aluminum. The middle part is a figure with spread wings, the left figure makes grinding movements that it passes on to the right figure who spreads them further into the space.
It was the architect of the office completed in 1959, Van de Graaf, who had advised Unilever to have a sculpture made for the entrance. In consultation with Museum Boymans director Ebbinge Wubben, the company chose Couzijn, and approved his design immediately in 1959. Couzijn had designed the sculpture as a three-part transparent screen that would partly float just above the pond. Because the building was vertical, the sculpture became horizontal, thus reinforcing each other's directions. The architect had three walls placed under the canopy that protruded, to which the sculpture was attached. The reflection in the pond doubled the symmetry and the water left traces on the sculpture, which provided extra dynamism. This was also increased by the incidence of light and light reflections that accentuated the turning and intersecting planes of the sculpture.
The image was one whole with the building, pond and forecourt, together connecting to the urban development environment with adjacent public road. Because of this striving for a connection with the built environment, Couzijn opted for the large scale and the contrast of the whimsical figure with the sleek building. Against the efficiently designed façade it rose as a triumph of human power, a mass that rose up and thus defied the laws of nature.
The media attention had already started in 1959-60. From 1959 Couzijn started exhibiting the scale models. Initially with the title The Manipulator, but Unilever found that too negative, after which it was published under the title Corporate Entity went on tour. In 1960, Couzijn represented the Netherlands at the Venice Biennale with a solo presentation in which this design was central, a version of 225 cm wide. It meant his national and international breakthrough. The media printed a photo of it and Couzijn was labelled the 'Dutch heavyweight champion of Venice Biennale' (The Observer, UK). Couzijn himself would continue to regard it as his magnum opus. The way in which he portrayed tragedy and conflict in that image and managed to turn it into a sense of victory, that would give an enormous boost to his work. All the whimsical and winged figures that he would make afterwards can be traced back to that image.
The statue also became a milestone for Rotterdam. In the city with its growing collection of sculptures, it was seen as part of a large row: Zadkine, Gabo, Moore. The media noted that the new city centre was able to take on a good definitive form thanks to this modern sculpture – Gabo's statue did this for the Coolsingel, Moore's work for the Weena, Couzijn for the area around the s'Jacobplein. Couzijn's statue succeeded in this by being a 'life feeling that has become form', there is something deeply human in it. Rotterdammers and others recognised in the statue an expression of triumph, human potential, a city that rose above the trauma of war. Together, these four works of art gave character to the city that was still under construction, where people still mourned the bombardment and the destroyed city centre. Art helped Rotterdammers to accept all these changes. Apart from making the angularly rising architecture more human, and more beautiful, it was also glorious. Rotterdam was in the final phase of reconstruction and these large statues marked its success.
Because Corporate Entity scored so high internationally, it was also good PR for Rotterdam, 'this bustling 20th-century city that was virtually rebuilt from the rubble of war and is now known for its wide use of exciting sculpture out of doors,' according to the New York Herald Tribune when it was reported Corporate Entity wrote. The media regularly compared the statue to the war memorial by Zadkine, an artist Couzijn had met in New York during the war, and with whom he shared an expressive visual language. Corporate Entity was also seen as a compensation for the 'missed opportunity' of the Merchant Navy Monument: the winning design for it had been by Couzijn, but proved too difficult to execute – which meant that the city, according to many, had missed out on a war memorial of the calibre of Zadkine. Unilever made up for that omission. Art expert Pierre Janssen considered the Unilever statue to be 'one of the most important achievements of Dutch sculpture this century.'
That was because of its roughness that matched the renewal that not only Rotterdam was striving for, but also the art world. In the Netherlands, there was a feeling for a long time that painting but not sculpture was making great strides, Corporate Entity changed that. That is why the magazine Studio in 1963 designated Couzijn as the leader of an important sculpture movement in the Netherlands. It aroused pride in domestic newspapers that thanks to this work of art the Netherlands could now also 'measure itself with sculptures by famous foreigners'.
That was thanks to Unilever, which had given Couzijn a lot of artistic freedom. Companies found art important in that post-war period. They felt a social responsibility and gave gifts to the city in the form of art in public space (Gabo, Zadkine, Hofplein fountain). Art also contributed to the image of companies. Unilever saw this work of art as a gift to the city and the people of Rotterdam and organised a festive unveiling in collaboration with Museum Boymans. Professor Hammacher spoke about how this sculpture would serve as an example in the much-discussed symbiosis of architecture and visual arts. He also complimented the clients who had commissioned such a bold sculpture.
Sidney J. van den Bergh, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Unilever, also spoke and explained how churches and city councils used to act as patrons, but that now modern business 'must take over that task.' He continued how Unilever found it very important to engage artists, how this work of art was important to the company, to Rotterdam and to the whole of the Netherlands: 'And it was also clear to us that this had to be a work of art of this time and that it should show us, but especially to our children and grandchildren, what people in the Netherlands were achieving at this time.'
Mrs. Van Walsum-Quispel, wife of the mayor, did the actual unveiling and said that it is precisely the large statues in Rotterdam that give a sense of pride to be able to stand in this city. And she wished Couzijn that the people of Rotterdam would come to the conviction that they would never want to miss this work of art again. That wish came true. Although the statue was moved to the Weena once more, it has the artistic power to be a glorious Rotterdam landmark there too.