In memory of Gerard Meulensteen

Meulensteen, the founder of Neways Electronics International, selflessly dedicated his life to supporting the arts in Eindhoven and beyond. Together with his wife Riky, he was a passionate art collector. After spending a wonderful, joyful evening in Kiro Urdin’s studio in Paris, they decided to only purchase works by artists they had met in person. Their collection therefore also represents all the special relationships they formed with artists over the course of their lives. In 2000, this extensive art collection formed the basis for the Danubiana Museum in Bratislava (Slovakia).

In Eindhoven, Meulensteen promoted art in many ways. In 2001, he founded the Meulensteen Art Centre, based at Eindhoven University of Technology. He served on different boards of organisations including the MU, Grafisch Atelier Daglicht, and De Witte Dame’s Stichting Emmasingel. He was also the longest-serving member of the Van Abbemuseum Promoters Foundation, a role through which he supported the museum with ideas and funding for many years. Without his support, the museum’s new building, which opened in 2003, could not have been realised in its current form.

Perhaps his most significant contribution to art in Eindhoven was his efforts to bring about the installation of Claes Oldenburg’s Flying Pins (2000), located at the start of John F. Kennedylaan. To make this colourful, playful work possible, Meulensteen mobilised his extensive network and contributed personally. The work epitomises Meulensteen’s own vision on art, which can be summed up by a single concept: joie de vivre. Art makes life richer, as well as more interesting and more beautiful, which makes it an inexhaustible source of joy.

The dedication of the Tower to Gerard Meulensteen is an initiative by the Van Abbemuseum and is a tribute to a remarkable Eindhoven resident and a great art lover.