Exhibition Gerard Philips officially opened by Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem and new title FRITS magazine presented
On Wednesday, May 31, Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem officially opened the exhibition on Gerard Philips in the Philips Museum. He also received the latest edition of FRITS magazine during the opening of the exhibition. The Eindhoven magazine was renamed GERARD for this special occasion.
During the official opening of the exhibition, the Brainport Eindhoven region was widely represented. After all, Gerard is not only the founder of Philips, but with his vision on innovation and social entrepreneurship, he was also of great influence on the entire region as we know it today.
Gerard in the foreground
Sylvia van Es, President of Philips Netherlands: "On May 15, the day Gerard founded the company, we already unveiled the artwork together as a tribute to our founder. Now that 'Gerard' has "come home" to Eindhoven, the general public can also become more personally acquainted with Philips' founder through this special exhibition. By doing so, we bring Gerard out of the shadows of history and bring him back to the foreground. Where he belongs as the founder of Brainport."
Inheritance
Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem said during the unveiling of Gerard's artwork on May 15: "Gerard Philips has given our Brainport region a great legacy in terms of innovation, entrepreneurship and cooperation. This is still every day at the basis of who we are and what we do. Without Gerard there was no Philips, no Natlab or High Tech Campus, no PSV and no "city of light. It is hard to imagine how Eindhoven would have developed without Gerard."
Empirical researcher
Olga Coolen, Philips Museum director: "Gerard Philips was a true engineer and technician, but also had a tremendous sense of entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility. What is special about the exhibition about him, is that work not previously shown is presented digitally. This allows visitors to leaf through his handwritten notebook and get even closer to Gerard Philips' thought processes and experiments.
Recently, we researched this notebook with a number of experts. This is how we found out that during those five weeks Gerard devoted himself to spraying the cellulose thread, which proved to be a suitable adhesive and led to the best charring process. His way of working was that of an empirical researcher; try something out, take note, and experiment again with minor adjustments. Until he had the best result."
One-off new title for FRITS magazine
The opening act of the exhibition Gerard was also the launch of the latest edition of FRITS magazine. This special edition of the magazine, renamed GERARD for the occasion, came about through a collaboration between FRITS Media and Philips. The magazine has nearly 200 pages, a third of which are about Philips. The articles focus on Gerard's important pillars and his legacy for today's Philips: innovation, entrepreneurship and social commitment. The theme issue will be in stores on June 6.
Hans Matheeuwsen, editor-in-chief and owner of FRITS magazine: "Frits Philips, to whom we as a magazine are indebted, is as a social entrepreneur a household name in Eindhoven, you could even call him popular. His father Anton, Gerard's brother, is regarded in the city as the commercial brain behind the expansion of Philips as a concern in the first half of the last century. Although Gerard is the founder of the company, at the same time he was considered the great unknown Philips, of whom the city literally had no image. That has changed. And it was about time. We gladly cooperated with Philips' goal of giving him a face and making him recognizable."
Exhibition Gerard Philips
The temporary exhibition Gerard Philips offers a glimpse into the thoughts and actions of Philips' founder. A film is shown in which Daan Schuurmans talks about how Gerard, with an eye for technology, entrepreneurship and fellow human beings, laid the foundation for the innovative company that grew into a global concern more than 130 years ago. To this day, Gerard is an inspiration for future generations.
Gerard Philips artwork: tribute to innovation, entrepreneurship and humanity
In honor of Philips' 130th anniversary, the company donated a Gerard artwork to the municipality of Eindhoven as a tribute to innovation and humanity. The 7-meter-high artwork was unveiled on Monday, May 15, at its temporary location in the Gloeilampplantsoen at Strijp-T.
