Man and Woman Life-size Statues

Bronze, life-size statues on a concrete plinth depicting a leaning, slightly forward bending man and woman. In the 1970s and 1980s, students often referred to the images as the parents of the drunk.

The images leaning forward, turning their head in despair gave cause to assume that the parents were grieving because their son or daughter had not passed. Since a sign states that the sculpture group is called Man and Woman, that reference has fallen into disuse.

The images were placed on Tuesday 20 April 1976 on the occasion of the opening of the Erasmus House, the building that houses the Faculty of Arts of the KU Leuven. They are under the horse chestnut with the poem by Benno Barnard (1954).

(Source :Leuven Gebeiteld_metkaft - Leuven statues.pdf, 2013 )

Photo by Aslı Tezcan