The VUB bids farewell to Willy Vandendorpe, the artist who gifted our university its most recognisable sculpture: Denker in alle Staten. He passed away during the night of Sunday 8 June. Through his work, Vandendorpe leaves a lasting impression on the campus – and on the thinking of many generations of VUB students and staff.
Since 2006, the bright red sculpture – a defiant reinterpretation of Rodin’s famous The Thinker – has stood tall on its plinth overlooking the campus. Not merely an ode to reason, but a critical reflection on its limits. Vandendorpe added a weather vane to the figure – a subtle but striking intervention. The sculpture warns of the dangers of rational thought left unchecked: dogmas, fundamentalism, even the descent into war and violence. A message, sadly, more relevant than ever.
“It is a concept in flux – quite literally. The direction of thinking is never absolute, never fixed,” said emeritus professor Jean Paul Van Bendegem in an earlier interview. “Perhaps the most powerful visual metaphor for the principle of free inquiry that the VUB holds so dear.”
The sculpture is part of the university’s Humanist Sculpture Park, a collection of artworks that represent or question the core values of the institution. Among these, Denker in alle Staten has become the flagship piece – a sculpture that denounces, challenges, and inspires all at once.
Even the material it was made from connects the work to the university. Vandendorpe chose Vubonite, a ceramic polyester developed at the VUB in the 1980s. The glossy red finish makes it an unmistakable landmark on campus.
Vandendorpe – also known under the pseudonym W.J.P. Levi – was an artist of symbols, of layered meaning. He deconstructed familiar signs and added his own, encouraging viewers to see well-known images through a new lens.
The unveiling of Denker in alle Staten in 2007, marking 150 years of Flemish student presence in Brussels, was a symbolic moment. It linked past, present and future in a work that continues to challenge us to think, to question, and to doubt.
With the passing of Willy Vandendorpe, the VUB loses a kindred spirit. Yet his work endures – speaking to the power of thought, and the ongoing need to interrogate it.