A Bronze Reflection of Human Emotion
On 20 April 1976, two life-size bronze statues were unveiled on a concrete plinth at the opening of Erasmus House, home to KU Leuven’s Faculty of Arts. The sculptures, titled Man and Woman, depict a man and woman leaning forward, their heads turned in an expression of despair.
Student Nickname: “Parents of the Drunk”
In the 1970s and 1980s, students humorously referred to the statues as the Parents of the Drunk. Their bent posture and sorrowful expressions inspired the idea that they were grieving parents whose child had failed exams or strayed from their studies. Over time, this nickname faded after the official title Man and Woman was marked on a sign nearby.
A Setting of Art and Literature
The statues stand beneath a horse chestnut tree, accompanied by a poem by Belgian poet Benno Barnard (b. 1954). Together, the sculptures and poem form a symbolic dialogue between visual art and literature in Leuven’s academic heart.
(Source :Leuven Gebeiteld_metkaft - Leuven statues.pdf, 2013 )
Photo by Aslı Tezcan
