The statue of an African elephant opposite the Africa Museum in the municipality of Tervuren just outside of Brussels will be restored after the winter, and has now been scaffolded.
The sculpture was created by Albéric Collin (1886-1962) for the 1935 World Fair in Brussels. The statue is made of reinforced concrete and in 1938, it was placed on an ironstone plinth opposite the Africa Museum on the Chaussée de Louvain.
"Over the years, the sculpture became damaged, mainly by the internal reinforcement corroding and expanding," the Buildings Agency explained in a press release. "This created several cracks, which were exacerbated by water seepage, as well as freezing and thawing cycles."
Protected monument
Before the restoration started, an art-historical study, an analysis of damage and a study of the statue's structure were undertaken. As the statue is a protected monument, the works are being carried out in close consultation with the Flemish Heritage Agency.
While the scaffolding has already been put up, the works will not start until after winter: they can only be carried out when it is warmer than 5°C both at day and night. Additionally, the lower part of the plinth is being removed to analyse the condition under the concrete base and determine what type of stone is suitable for its restoration.
The aim of the restoration, which will start on 18 March 2024, is to make maximum use of the original materials and techniques, but also to improve the sculpture's durability by making it more resistant to weathering. Cracks and gaps in the sculpture will be repaired. Corrosion on exposed reinforcement will also be removed and a protective layer will be added.
Credit: Buildings Agency
"The sculpture has been painted over several times in the past. These layers of paint will be removed because they are not vapour-permeable enough and they also flatten the details and texture of the sculpture," the press release said. A new, vapour-permeable paint layer will be added.
Parts of the sculpture that pose a risk of breaking off will be reinforced and the gap at the trunk will also be repaired; archive footage shows that it previously curled at the end.
