The Search for Elementary Structures in Multiparticle Production in the Work of LÉON Van Hove

The search for simplicity at a fundamental level was stimulated by the universality of NB behavior and its subsequent interpretation in terms of clans. A continuous dialog between theory and experiment was at the origin of its success. Recent experimental findings show that the regularity is valid in e⁺e^- annihilation at LEP energy at a more fundamental level than previously expected. Perspectives opened by Léon Van Hove's work in the field are discussed and related to the new discovery.