Olivier Strebelle (20 January 1927 – 29 July 2017) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

sculptor. Strebelle was born in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

on 20 January 1927. His monumental (usually bronze) sculptures adorn many public places in

as well as in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

, Switzerland, and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Strebelle was a prolific artist for more than 65 years, and his works are found in private collections and public settings around the world. His style has evolved from robust, organic abstract forms to the sinuous lines seen in Athletes' Alley, on the site of the Beijing Olympic Games. His sculpture ''The Abduction of Europa'' (french: L'Enlèvement d'Europe) has been on display in the Square of Europe, Moscow since September 2002.

Athletes Alley

''Athletes Alley'' is a sculpture meant as a gift from

to the city of

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, but was not completed in time. It opened shortly after the games ended, having cost over 5 million euros. The abstract installation is composed of 5 tubular polished stainless steel modules that reach up to 20m height and 100m length (weighing 120T), and is meant to evoke the

Olympic rings The International Olympic Committee (IOC) uses icons, flags and symbols to elevate the Olympic Games. These symbols include those commonly used during Olympic competition—such as the flame, fanfare and theme—as well as those used throughout ...

. The production of Athletes Alley involved a technological collaboration between the image laboratory of Université Libre de Bruxelles,

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (; abbr. THU) is a national public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. The university is a member of the C9 League, Double First Class University Plan, Projec ...

, a French engineering consultancy specialising in metallic frame-works (C&E Ingénierie) and a German software company, Sofistik.

Gallery

File:Beijing Olympics- Closing Ceremony.jpg, 2008 Beijing Olympics closing ceremony File:Olivier_Strebelle_-_Miss_Television_II_-_1979_-_Middelheimmuseum.jpg, Public sculpture in Antwerp File:Expo_67,_Anthropomotion_lll_,_sculpture_d%27_Olivier_Strebelle,_sur_la_place_du_pavillon_de_la_Belgique.jpg, Anthropomotion lll, beside the Belgium Pavilion, Expo 67, Montreal,

Quebec, Canada Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen p ...

References

External links

Official website

Athletes Alley (Official website)
1927 births 2017 deaths 2008 Summer Olympics Belgian culture Belgian sculptors Buildings and structures in Beijing People from Uccle Prix de Rome (Belgium) winners {{Belgium-sculptor-stub