Kees Verkade

Kees Verkade (born 1941 in Haarlem) is a Dutch artist and sculptor. He specializes in modeling the human form, with an emphasis on movement and emotion. Most of his sculptures are set in bronze. They depict a variety of people, including children, clowns, athletes, dancers, mothers, and lovers. Verkade also creates gouaches and silkscreens to accompany his sculptures.

Early career

Verkade was born in 1941 to an upper class family in Haarlem. He took painting lessons with Gerrit van ’t Net from 1958 to 1963, and at the Royal Academy in The Hague. In 1964 he had his first exposition in the Haarlem fish market (a hall belonging to the Frans Hals Museum. This was a success and the Frans Hals museum bought two of his sculptures. He specialized in carving and sculpture. One of his early works is in the Haarlem fish market. His big breakthrough came when his work (at that time mostly showing sports movements) was noticed by an American author visiting Haarlem in 1969. He showed photographs of Verkade's sculptures to friends. Verkade then proceeded to become an internationally recognized artist, and many local associations bought his work. His work can be seen in public places around Haarlem and Zandvoort, where he lived and worked. He moved to Monaco in 1979.

elected works

* "Triomf" (1995) in Rotterdam/The Netherlands
* "Malizia" (1997) a statue of François Grimaldi in Monaco
* "Tight Rope Walker" on the Columbia University campus

External links

* [http://www.keesverkade.com/eng/presentation.php Verkade's website]
* [http://www.kunstbus.nl/verklaringen/kees+verkade.html Biography] (in Dutch)