Tervuren’s African elephant back in full glory

The sculpture, made of reinforced concrete, was created by Albéric Collin (1886-1962) for the 1935 World Expo in Brussels. The elephant found its final home in 1938 on the iron sandstone pedestal. After the restoration, the statue has been returned to its original light gray color, instead of the cream white it had faded to.

Tervuren’s famous elephant, located across from the AfricaMuseum on the busy Leuvensesteenweg, has been restored to its full glory. The €130,000 restoration is set to be completed this month, once the pedestal is finished. The missing curl on the trunk has also been fixed. And visitors can now admire the original spears held by the warriors on top of the elephant.

The sculpture, made of reinforced concrete, was created by Albéric Collin (1886-1962) for the 1935 World Expo in Brussels. The elephant found its final home in 1938 on the iron sandstone pedestal. After the restoration, the statue has been returned to its original light gray color, instead of the cream white it had faded to.

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The federal Buildings Agency saw through the restoration with money from the National Lottery or Belgium’s many gamblers. Over the years, the statue has suffered damage, mainly from corroding internal reinforcements that expanded and caused cracks. Water infiltration and freeze-thaw cycles worsened the situation.

Restoration work began in March 2024, led by the firm Lapis Arte. The team used as many original materials and techniques as possible. They also enhanced the statue’s durability by making it more weather-resistant. Cracks were repaired, corrosion on exposed reinforcements was removed, and protective measures were added to prevent future damage.

Author: Dafydd ab Iago. © Article and photos are licensed © 2024 for Tervuren+ under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. Dafydd ab Iago is a professional journalist covering European politics. This is Dafydd’s personal news blog on on Tervuren.

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  • Dafydd ab Iago

    Dafydd ab Iago has been a journalist for over 25 years, mostly covering European politics. By founding Tervuren+, Dafydd aims to address the gaps in local news reporting with a publication rhythm of 3-4 targeted and researched articles for free per month. "News desert is the term for the lack of local and micro-level news," he says.

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