Yesterday afternoon, on World Refugee Day, Ahmed Aboutaleb, mayor of Rotterdam, unveiled L’Age d’Or (2019) by Young British Artist Gavin Turk. L’Age d’Or is an open door over 3.5 metres tall made of painted bronze, which offers a view of the river Maas and a glimpse over the North Sea to the Atlantic and beyond. The sculpture thus refers to the three million people or more who departed from the port of Rotterdam in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, destined for the other side of the world. This will be the central theme at FENIX, which is currently being developed nearby. L’Age d’Or is the first work of art that FENIX presents from its collection. By giving it on long-term loan to Rotterdam City Council’s international sculpture collection it is on view for everyone.
