ROTTERDAM, 3 April 2025 – A new temporary sculpture has been announced at Museum Rotterdam, honouring the late Eric Alblas. Known as 'the nitrous oxide man', Alblas was celebrated for his dedication to keeping the city’s streets clean.
Sculpture of ‘the nitrous oxide man’ unveiled in Coolhaven
A new artwork commemorating Eric Alblas (1960–2023), colloquially known as De lachgasman van Rotterdam (the nitrous oxide man of Rotterdam), is being exhibited at Museum Rotterdam '40–'45 NU. Created by artist André Pielage, the sculpture features Alblas in his mobility scooter, constructed entirely from thousands of discarded nitrous oxide canisters he personally collected from the streets of Rotterdam.
The sculpture will be officially unveiled on 24 May 2025, exactly two years after Alblas’s passing. The event will be preceded by the annual Eric Alblas Memorial Cleanup, organised by Zwerfie Rotterdam, tracing Alblas’s regular cleaning route from Maashaven to Noordereiland.
Tribute to civic dedication
Alblas, who lived with haemophilia and later became reliant on a wheelchair, began collecting nitrous oxide cartridges (lachgaspatronen) after witnessing someone slip on one. Armed with a grabber and magnet, he patrolled the city daily, reportedly collecting up to a thousand canisters per round. In recognition of his civic efforts, Alblas was awarded the Erasmus Medal in 2022.
Due to increasing pain and complications related to his illness, Alblas chose euthanasia on 24 May 2023. His farewell message, printed on his funeral card, read: “Will you keep Rotterdam clean and safe? I’m on my final round.”
From street waste to sculpture
Artist André Pielage first connected with Alblas in 2018 while working on Out Loud, a project that warned against recreational nitrous oxide use. Alblas contributed collected canisters for the piece, which has since been installed in Haarlem. This collaboration led to a lasting connection, and eventually to the concept of immortalising Alblas in sculpture.
Support for the project came from Ivo Rodermans of Zwerfie Rotterdam, who helped secure funding from the Mondriaan Fund and an anonymous private donor. Zwerfie, a volunteer organisation focused on litter reduction, counts nearly 500 active members and continues to advocate for cleaner public spaces. The group also campaigns for a nationwide deposit scheme for used nitrous oxide cylinders, due to their rising presence in public spaces and the associated explosion risks in waste facilities.
Museum Rotterdam hosts temporary presentation
Museum Rotterdam embraced the sculpture as a meaningful addition to its pop-up series at the Coolhaven location. The work aligns with the museum’s mission to reflect the lives and contributions of everyday Rotterdammers. It will be exhibited alongside historical sanitation artefacts, such as a 1927 bicycle sweeper and a 1994 Opzoomerbezem (neighbourhood clean-up broom).
The temporary installation offers an opportunity to explore contemporary urban heritage. It will remain on view until the end of September 2025. Entry to the pop-up presentation is free, while regular admission fees apply to the permanent Museum Rotterdam '40–'45 NU exhibitions.
About the location
Visiting the pop-up at Museum Rotterdam
The exhibition is housed in Museum Rotterdam '40–'45 NU, situated at Coolhaven. The area is accessible via metro, tram and bicycle, and lies in close proximity to Erasmus MC and the historic Delfshaven district. The site offers a reflective space to consider local stories and the evolving identity of Rotterdam.
