The mural is based on the story of Cornelius van Gogh, Vincent van Gogh’s forgotten younger brother, and the Backer & Rueb machine factory.

This 130 meter long mural shows the coming and going of factory workers, assembling the trains that made Backer & Rueb famous. It also features a man with bright orange hair, that man is Cornelius (Cor) van Gogh, Vincent van Gogh’s younger brother. Because of his technical background, Cor worked at Backer & Rueb for a few years. Cor didn’t enjoy the Netherlands much, so he moved to South Africa, where he worked as a draftsman for the South-African Railways. Eventually, Cor joined the army during the Second Boer War. Sadly Cor wasn’t much of a fighter, and he quickly ended up in the hospital, where he committed suicide at the young age of 32.

This mural is part of the Van Gogh Murals, a collaboration with Van Gogh Brabant and Zuidlijn. The project aims to make five murals in five cities: Tilburg, Eindhoven, Helmond, Den Bosch and Breda.

Assistents: Marije Maria, Ilse Weisfelt, Thomas & Jurgen and Fernandoleon. 

Photography: Edwin Wiekens, Rosa Meininger