THE FRIENDSHIP between Loulé and the Dutch city of Utrecht has been strengthened with the gift of a religious sculpture by Dutch artist Jits Bakker. The sculpture will be displayed in the Loulé museum.
The University of Utrecht’s rector, Willem Hendrik Gispen and Jits Bakker himself presented the sculpture to Loulé Câmara President, Seruca Emídio, at a ceremony which took place on Friday, October 13.
Bakker has a long-standing friendship with the city of Loulé, which is evident in the presence of his works in the area, namely The Sundance sculpture in the centre of Loulé and The Fisherman in Quarteira. He has also exhibited a selection of his pieces in Vale do Lobo. This latest work is a 1.4m high sculpture of Jesus on the cross.
The University of Utrecht is the only institution in Holland to offer a Portuguese language and culture course and Emídio said that, in cultural terms, this token strengthened the relationship between the two cities, as well as ties with Portugal as a whole. He recognised the growing Dutch contingent resident in the area and their contribution to Algarvean society and thanked the anonymous group who commissioned the sculpture.
