Museum Rotterdam presenteert nieuwe aanwinst De Lachgasman

Museum Rotterdam presents a special new acquisition: a statue of Eric Alblas (1960-2023), better known as 'The laughing gas man of Rotterdam'. Artist André Pielage created a sculpture in which Eric, seated in his mobility scooter, is completely constructed from thousands of laughing gas cartridges that Eric collected during his daily rounds. The statue is a tribute to a Rotterdammer who dedicated himself to a cleaner city. The artwork can be seen until September as a temporary presentation in Museum Rotterdam '40 – '45 NU at the Coolhaven.

An icon of the city immortalized

Eric Alblas suffered from hemophilia, a serious blood clotting disorder, and eventually became dependent on a wheelchair. Despite his limitations, he committed himself to a cleaner city after he saw someone slip on a laughing gas canister. With a grabber and magnet, he sometimes collected a thousand canisters a day during his daily rounds through Rotterdam. He received the Erasmus badge for his efforts in 2022. When the pain caused by his illness became unbearable, he chose euthanasia on May 24, 2023. His condolence card bore the message: 'Do you keep Rotterdam clean and safe? I am on my last round.'

Creation of artwork

In 2018, artist André Pielage contacted Eric Alblas for laughing gas cartridges for his artwork Out Loud , a warning against laughing gas use, which has been on display in Haarlem since its creation. Eric provided him with the cartridges he found, and a lasting bond was created. André later shared his plan to immortalize Eric in a statue. Ivo Rodermans of Zwerfie Rotterdam embraced the idea and managed to secure the financing. Zwerfie, which works with almost 500 volunteers to reduce litter and waste, organizes the annual Eric Alblas Memorial Cleanup along Eric's favorite route from the Maashaven to the Noordereiland.