1960 -1970
The inspiration for the Evoluon Eindhoven came in the 50s. Philips surprised everyone with its pavilion at the first post-war trade fair, the Brussels World Fair. ‘Le Poème Electronique’ attracted more than 1 million visitors within the space of six months. The cost of such a temporary exhibition was, however, quite substantial.
One evening, when Frits Philips was dining with Louis Kalff, his artistic right-hand man, they once again discussed the idea of setting up a permanent exhibition space. The story is that Louis Kalff then sketched 3 striking buildings, one of which was the futuristic-looking flying saucer.
In 1963 work got under way to build the Evoluon Eindhoven. Partly due to the extremely harsh winters, it was in many ways a difficult feat and quite incredible that the company was able to celebrate its completion as early as 1966. Philips’ anniversary gift to the city of Eindhoven and its people was ready
