Are the Beatles actually from Kalmthout?
In a sense, you could say that it is partly true that The Beatles originate from our very own municipality of Kalmthout. Not the actual Beatles, obviously. The four members of the British pop group from Liverpool that took the world by storm in the sixties, will be given an artistic alter ego, sculpted by the artist Jorg Van Daele, who hails from that Campine municipality.
Sam Mendes felt it was high time to celebrate the life and music of The Beatles, who were made up of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, through a four-part biopic. With some prestigious film awards under his belt, the British Hollywood director has clearly proved his ability to take on such a daunting task. For instance, he was awarded an Oscar for American Beauty in 1999, and he received a Golden Globe for the wartime drama 1917.
The 59-year-old internationally renowned artist Jorg Van Daele once made four similar abstract sculptures of the same size, that he sold 23 years ago to an art enthusiast. Apparently, they have now reappeared at a company in Great Britain that delivers props to film and theatre productions. Does Sam Mendes see the respective character of one of the group members reflected in each of the little gems? Jorg has not got the faintest idea. He was not only immensely happy and proud to be able to confer the right to use them, but he is also curious to see how his creation will turn out in April 2028. Along with him, we are anxiously waiting to see the Liverpool-Kalmthout connection.