The PRIX EUROPA Trophy

‘CABEZA DEL AZOTE DEL LABERINTICO’

by Anthon Hoornweg

The story behind this statue is a story from Mount Olympus. One day, Zeus, chief deity of the Greek pantheon, fell in love with Europa. In order to approach the beautiful Phoenician king's daughter without being recognised, he transformed himself into a white bull and carried her away to Crete. There Europa bore him three sons; Minos was one of them.

Minos became the king of Crete and married Pasiphae. Pasiphae suffered the same fate as her mother-in-law Europa – she became enchanted by a mythical bull. It had been sent to her by Poseidon out of revenge. Months later she gave birth to the minotaur– a creature with the body of a human and the head of a bull. Her deceived husband Minos shut up the minotaur in a labyrinth and had seven girls and young men sent to him every year to eat. These children were part of a tribute which the Athenians had to pay him. Theseus put an end to this horror and killed the minotaur, although he would never have found his way out of the labyrinth without the thread laid for him by Ariadne, daughter of Minos and Pasiphae ...

A tortuous story. What remains is a name and a symbol: Europa and the bull. Both now come to new honours at PRIX EUROPA.

Since 1999 all prize-winners not only receive prize money and a certificate, but also a special trophy – the TAURUS. This bronze sculpture comes from the workshop of the Dutch artist Anthon Hoornweg and bears the title "Cabeza del Azote del Laberintico"; it is inspired by Cretan mythology and is a homage to it.

Anthon Hoornweg was born in Rotterdam in 1948. He is one of the few remaining artists who still cast in bronze. He loves to work in stone and wood, but prefers bronze above all else. He says this metal exudes a very special warmth and depth. No casting is ever identical to another. Each of the TAURUS sculptures created by Hoornweg is therefore unique. For this reason, and because each statue was born of passion, it can only belong to one person. Hoornweg says that as soon as this person touches his or her TAURUS, it will come to life and will never leave that person. What is more: "The TAURUS is as rich in meaning and symbolism as the PRIX EUROPA itself."